


Nature's First Green is Violet

by CanonConvergence18



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Feel-good, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Light Angst, Magic, Mutual Pining, Romance, cuz Abby's kinda freaky, like a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:02:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27835723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanonConvergence18/pseuds/CanonConvergence18
Summary: Abigail is tired of Stardew Valley and imagines a life of magic and adventure. But when someone moves into the old farm just outside of town, she finds that maybe the valley has more to offer than she first thought.
Relationships: Abigail/Male Player (Stardew Valley), Abigail/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 81





	1. The graveyard draws the living still

**Author's Note:**

> Stardew Valley is about the only thing that's kept me sane in this hellhole of a year, so I decided to channel my writing into my favorite romantic pairing. I loved the romance with Abigail so much, but I felt like there were so many pieces missing! This fic is basically me filling in some of the gaps. Heart events from the game will be incorporated, as will some of the dialogue, but I take some pretty heavy artistic license. Hope you all enjoy reading!

Even in the dark, Abigail’s bright hair made her almost impossible to miss. In the time since I’d moved to Stardew Valley, I’d learned that it wasn’t unusual to see Abby in the graveyard. It was just part of her “alternative lifestyle” as Caroline might say. Normally I wouldn’t interrupt, but from a distance I could see her violet hair waving around as if she was dancing. Despite my own weariness, and the bitter chill of the early spring air, I was curious enough to investigate.

I didn’t make any effort to hide my footsteps as I approached, and by the time I reached the dim circle of light cast by Abigail’s lantern, she’d stopped moving.

Her face broke out into a wide smile when I got closer. “Hey there! I guess you’re wondering why I’m in the graveyard at this hour, huh?”

“Something like that.” Now that I was closer, I saw that she was sweating profusely, and her cheeks were flushed red. “Having a party?”

She blew a raspberry. “Hardly. This is just about the only place in town where you can find some privacy.”

“Ah.” I hesitated. “Want me to leave you alone?”

“No!” she said, eyes widening and taking an involuntary step forward. Her response was perhaps a bit more forceful than she’d intended, because she quickly composed herself. “I mean, it’s actually kind of lucky you came along. I’ve been practicing my swordsmanship.”

She reached into the darkness and pulled a sturdy looking short sword into view. I was surprised to see the weapon, and it must have shown because she immediately looked defensive.

“What? You think I’m too weak to swing a blade?” she challenged.

I sputtered a bit, although it was true that Abigail wouldn’t have been the first person I’d have thought of when considering combat. Alex, as an athlete, sure. Sebastian was bad tempered enough that I imagined slicing up some slimes might cheer him up at least a little. Even Leah or Emily came to mind quicker when I thought about fighting. Abigail, however, barely topped five feet and was prone to loud exclamations that did not help when you were hiding from a floating skull behind a bit of rock. But looking at her fierce expression, and the tight grip she held on her sword, I didn’t doubt she could give any of us a run for our money.

Before I could figure out the right words to reassure Abby that I took her _very_ seriously as a fighter, she huffed a sigh and looked away across the graveyard.

“Sorry,” she muttered, expression softening. “Didn’t mean to snap. It’s just, I really want to explore the mountain caves, but I know it’s too dangerous to go in there unarmed.” She looked back at me, her eyes shimmering in the lantern light. “You’ve used a sword before, haven’t you?”

“A lot,” I admitted, feeling safe enough to move forward. “Only in self-defense, but it definitely wakes you up.”

“See!” Abigail leaned towards me eagerly. “You know why I’m out here then! I’ve lived in the valley my whole life; I’ve never really done anything memorable. I want to go on an adventure!”

I grinned, energized by her enthusiasm. “Why don’t you show me how it’s coming along? Maybe I can teach you a trick or two.”

“Really?” Abby’s face shone with excitement. “I mean, yeah, I’d love that!”

I dropped my pack and retreated to a safe distance as she began swinging the sword around again. What she lacked in form, she made up for in sheer enthusiasm, leaping and slashing at imaginary foes.

“What do you think?” she asked when she finally stopped moving, breathing heavily and a look of exhilaration on her flushed face.

“Not bad,” I said with a grin. “But your grip’s a little off, let me show you.” I moved forward and took her hand, helping her adjust her fingers. “You want to hold it really firmly. Most of the stuff in the caves are really tough; if you’re not careful a good hit’ll tear the sword right out of your grip.”

“What else?” she said eagerly.

“Well, no offense, but you’re kinda small, so you’ll need to move fast. You can distribute your weight more like this, it’ll give you better mobility.” I demonstrated the pose.

She did her best to mirror me. “Like this?”

“Left arm out a little more.” I adjusted her stance. “That’ll help you keep your balance.”

“This good?” Abigail looked up at me, and I realized we were only a couple inches apart. My hand was still on her wrist and it suddenly felt like the cool night had shot up a couple degrees. Abby’s lips parted slightly, as if she were about to say something, but the only sounds seemed to be the sudden buzzing in my ears.

“Abigail!”

The sound of Pierre’s voice echoed like thunder through the graveyard, and we leapt apart like magnets. A moment later, Abby’s father strode into the light, looking more than a little irritated.

“Dad?” Abigail looked like she might pass out from shock.

“I’ve been looking all over for you!” Pierre looked almost as irritated as the time the Joja Mart manager had come to the store. “Your mother wants you to come home and help with dinner!”

Abruptly he looked around, as if he hadn’t noticed where we were standing. “What are you doing in the graveyard anyway? This is no place for a young lady.”

As it turned out, that was exactly the wrong thing to say. Abby went from shocked to infuriated in about half a second flat.

“Mind your own business!” she barked. “You think I should be at home cooking dinner because I’m a girl, don’t you?! You’re really stuck in the past, Dad.”

It looked like Pierre wanted to say something, but he seemed to have finally realized that his daughter was holding a very real, very sharp weapon.

Abby shook her head in disgust. “Come on, let’s get out of here!” She seized my hand and started dragging me away. I gave a stunned Pierre an apologetic look before the darkness swallowed us.

Pierre got his wits about him just in time to shout, “Come back!” but we were already racing through the hedgerows and tombstones. Abby stopped us in a far corner that I’d never seen before. We crouched behind some heavily overgrown bushes, giggling like kids.

“I don’t think my dad will find us here,” she whispered, peeking over the top of the brambles.

“You, uh, get into arguments like that a lot?” I asked a bit nervously.

Abigail sighed and sank down, leaning against the bush. “Yeah. They don’t really approve of,” she made a broad sweeping motion that took in everything from the top of her bright purple hair to the steel toes of her heavy boots, “all this. I think they wish I was more like Haley or Penny. You know, a _proper_ young lady.” Her tone was mocking, but with a hint of sadness.

I tried to think of something reassuring to say, but she plowed on. “They were young once, right? You’d think they’d understand not wanting to be put into some neat little box. I mean, come on, my mom’s hair is _green_ for goodness sake! Purple shouldn’t be that crazy!”

I opened my mouth to agree, but she wasn’t done yet. “I know, I know, they grew up in a different time, different values and all that. It still ticks me off.” She kicked a weed growing near her foot in irritation.

“Anyway,” she said with another sigh, looking at me directly for the first time since she’d sat down, “thanks for letting me rant, I’m sure you have better things to do with your night than listening to me complain.”

There was just a hint of uncertainty in her tone, and she was chewing lightly on her bottom lip as she looked at me.

“It’s alright,” I said honestly. “I had fun. Maybe we can pick up sword training again later?” I added hopefully.

Abby’s expression brightened, and when she spoke, her voice was a touch lower. “I’d like that a lot.”

Once again, I became aware of how close we were to each other. Our shoulders were almost touching, and I could see every fleck in her green eyes…

Abby broke the silence this time. “Hey, um, I think my hair’s tangled in this bush, can you help me out.”

We both burst out laughing, and I leaned over to help free her from the evil piece of shrubbery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story title adapted from "Nothing Gold Can Stay," chapter title taken from "In a Disused Graveyard," both by Robert Frost.


	2. Who loves, yet laughs among the swords?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from "The Ballad of the White Horse" by G. K. Chesterton.

We did end up practicing more with the sword, but in a location Pierre was less likely to stumble in on us. When I’d moved into Grandpa’s farm and started the arduous task of cleaning up the dead trees, brush, and rocks, I’d decided to leave a decent chunk uncultivated. As a kid, I’d loved running through the trees, and even though the area I’d chosen had perhaps the best soil on the farm, I couldn’t bring myself to chop them all down. After getting rid of all the rotting undergrowth, I was left with a solid acre of maples and oaks; my own little private forest.

It was there, with sunlight streaming through the foliage, that Abby and I worked on her swordplay. Her enthusiasm didn’t diminish in the slightest after a couple weeks of steady work. She’d refused to tie up her hair, and her violet locks danced in the sun as she wove her blade through the air.

The only complicating factor was the lack of actual monsters to practice with. Abigail’s eagerness notwithstanding, we both knew she wasn’t ready to head into the caves, and I certainly wasn’t going to try to capture anything and bring it back to the farm. In the end, we had to rely on a lot of imagination.

“They’re about this high.” I held my hand a couple feet off the ground. “And they’re like solid stone except for a little bit around the eyes and mouth. So you have to hit ‘em just right.”

“Like this?” Abby tried the lunge I’d been teaching her, her body stretched out into a line, with the tip of her sword leading the way.

I pursed my lips. “A little less weight on the front foot I think. If you miss and you’re too far forward, they’ll just take a chunk out of your leg. You want to be able to hop back if you have to.”

Abby tried the move again. “How about now?”

“Mmm, still a little off balance,” I said. “Your off hand is too close to your side.”

“I’m having trouble keeping track of everything,” Abby pouted. “Can you show me again?”

I suppressed a grin and walked over to her. This wasn’t the first time she’d asked me to help her with a move that I knew she was perfectly capable of doing on her own. Stepping up behind her, I mirrored her pose and took gentle hold of her hands.

“Your off hand is your balancing hand,” I said, guiding her left arm out and away from her body. “In combat it’s like your tail, it helps distribute your weight. When you’re lunging, you want it out to the side so you don’t tip forward. See?”

Moving deliberately, I stretched out my leg and leaned into the lunge, drawing Abby with me.

“And now, if you have to get away, you’re not having to work so hard.” I pulled her back to a standing position. “Think you got the hang of it?”

“Yeah.” Abby titled her head up to look at me, a brilliant smile on her face. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional, but she seemed to be leaning back against my chest. “You’re a really good teacher,” she remarked.

“You’re a really good student,” I replied with a grin.

She almost preened. “If only I’d done this well in school.”

I pulled away from her, letting my arms drop. “You didn’t get good grades?”

I wondered if I was imagining the slight pout of her lips as my hands left hers. Probably. Most likely…

Abby walked to a nearby tree to grab her scabbard. “I mean, I wasn’t terrible or anything. It was just…never that interesting. You know what I mean?”

“Trust me, I do.” Better than she could imagine.

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Ooh, sounds like there’s a story there. You know, I don’t think you’ve ever told me why you moved here. Failed out of college, huh?”

I laughed. “Not quite. It’s not that interesting a story, really.”

Abigail rolled her eyes. “Have you met the people in this town? The most exciting thing that’s happened this whole year was Alex’s dog getting into the garbage.”

I was momentarily distracted by the fact that it was not actually Alex’s dog going through the garbage around town. Apparently, Gus hadn’t spread Linus’s secret, which was nice to hear.

Abigail brought me back to earth by nudging me with her boot, probably fracturing my shin in the process. “Come on, humor me! I’ve lived my _whole_ life in this valley; I wanna hear about something new.”

I sighed in defeat. “Okay, fine. Let’s go inside and get some water.”

“Yes!” Abby crowed in triumph, hurrying ahead of me towards the farmhouse. Her vest, which she’d left unbelted today, floated behind her like a cape. It made her look even more like an adventuring hero.

I caught up with her about halfway to the house when she got distracted looking at the flower garden.

“Those are _so_ pretty!” she said, kneeling next to the tulips.

“Take a couple,” I told her. “They don’t sell for much, I mostly grow them for the color.”

Unsurprisingly, she chose two of the violet ones, holding them close to her nose for the rest of the walk. Once inside, I kicked off my shoes and grabbed a couple glasses of water while Abby looked around.

“I can’t remember the last time I was in here,” she remarked, looking at a painting I’d bought at the Night Market. “Probably when I was really little, before your granddad got sick.”

I looked up in interest. “You knew my grandfather?”

She shrugged. “Not really, I was too young. My dad brought me over one day when he was delivering seeds. He seemed nice. Gave me a piece of candy that made me wanna throw up.”

I let out a laugh, remembering Grandpa’s rather…unique candies. “Yeah I remember those. He picked up a taste for them in the Gotoro Empire, back before the war. I always waited till he was looking away and spit them out.”

“I tried,” Abby sulked, “but my dad said it was rude and made me eat it. Speaking of food though, you got anything to eat, I’m starving.”

Having anticipated this possibility, I’d stocked up on one of Abigail’s favorites. Reaching into a cupboard, I pulled out a solid chunk of pure quartz. Abby’s eyes lit up when she saw the shining crystal.

The first time I’d seen Abigail sink her teeth into a piece of quartz had been one of the most shocking experiences of my life, and I’d met a wizard. Caroline had mentioned her daughter’s fondness for the mineral in passing once, and when I’d picked up some in the mines, I’d decided to give it to her as a gift instead of selling it. I had assumed, wrongly, that she was a collector, and when she’d opened her mouth wide and took a chunk out of the quartz, I’d nearly had a heart attack.

“You remembered!” Abby exclaimed, reaching for the mineral eagerly.

“Hard to forget,” I said wryly. “You know that stuff’s harder than iron?”

Her mouth already full, Abby shrugged. “And?”

I shook my head ruefully. “Never mind.”

We sat down at the little table in my kitchen, Abigail’s teeth crunching loudly through the quartz while I snacked on a more mundane bit of granola.

“So?” Abby prompted between bites. “Tell me! How’d you end up here?”

“Like I said, it’s not very interesting,” I demurred, but Abby just sat forward, assuming an attentive pose that made me smile. “Okay, fine, if you’re really okay being bored out of your mind.”

I settled in, taking a moment to organize my thoughts. “You know my grandfather bought the farm way back when. He’d traveled a lot, worked a bunch of different jobs, but I guess he didn’t really like any of it. He told me he finally realized he wanted to do something simpler, something near nature. So he bought the farm, married my grandma and had my dad.”

Abby frowned, chewing her quartz pensively. “I feel like I’ve never heard anyone talk about your dad. Mayor Lewis tells stories about your grandpa all the time, but not your dad.”

I gave a slight smile. “That’s cuz my dad hated it here with a passion. Kinda like Haley actually. He always said nothing ever happens in Stardew Valley. As soon as he turned eighteen, he moved to Zuzu City and never looked back. I'm guessing he didn't make a lot of friends in the valley.”

“Alright,” Abby nodded along. “So that’s how your family ended up in the city. Why come back?”

“Well to explain that, you gotta know a couple things about my dad. See, he absolutely _loves_ Zuzu City, but it’s never been what you would call easy. He never went to college and so he basically had to work whatever job he could. All my life he told me I had to go to college and get a good job. I’m pretty sure my first book was a university catalogue.”

Abby stifled a laugh. “Wow, and I thought _my_ parents were bad.”

I smiled with her. “It was pretty intense. And it wasn’t enough just to go, I had to make sure I chose the _right_ degree. He basically signed me up to major in accounting, and I just kinda went with it. I never really cared much for it, but it made him happy so I scraped by. Graduated by the skin of my teeth and got a job with Joja.”

“Joja?” Abigail made a disgusted face, and for a moment she looked exactly like her dad. “Why _Joja_?”

I shrugged. “It paid well, had benefits, all that stuff adults are supposed to care about. Officially, I was a “Junior Investment Accounts Analyst” but really all I did was copy numbers from one spreadsheet to another all day long.”

Abby grimaced. “That sounds awful! I doubt I’d make it a week in a job like that.”

“I made it three years, but I have no idea how,” I admitted. “Every day was just pure monotony, like being stuck in some kind of awful time loop like you see in the movies. Same faces, same tasks over and over again.”

“What changed?” Abby appeared shockingly interested in my reminiscences, but I had no idea why.

“I don’t honestly know,” I said. “One day, my boss came by my cubicle and handed me a new project, and I just broke down crying. And not a couple tears or anything, like I was full on, curled into a ball sobbing in the corner. Totally freaked my boss out. He gave me the day off just so I’d leave.”

Abby snorted out a laugh before covering her mouth. “I’m sorry, that’s really awful, I didn’t mean to laugh.”

“No it’s fine,” I reassured her. “Looking back now it’s pretty silly. At the time I just knew I couldn’t keep doing it. My grandpa left me the farm when he died. In case I ever got tired of city life, he said. Well I was pretty tired of it, so I sent in my resignation, cleaned out my apartment and hopped on a bus. You know the rest.”

“Wow.” Abby was looking at me with raised eyebrows. “That must’ve taken a lot of guts, leaving everything you knew behind for some overgrown farm. What’d your dad think about it?”

“He was actually pretty okay with it, surprisingly. He saw how miserable I was, and I think he felt bad about pressuring me into that job in the first place. I don’t think he really gets it, but he says all that matters is that I’m happy here.”

“Okay, now I’m jealous,” Abby said with a playful scowl. “I wish my parents were as supportive as yours. They keep yapping at me about figuring out what I want to do with my life. As if _they_ had it all together when they were twenty.”

I shifted in my seat, abruptly aware that there was a good six years difference between us. It made me start to feel uncomfortable about how close we’d gotten in the past couple months.

“They don’t like the idea of you becoming a dungeon adventurer?” I tried to inject as much humor into my voice as I could.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t even get me started. My mom freaked out when I bought my sword. She thought I’d been saving up for a dress or something.”

I frowned as a thought occurred to me. “Do they know you’re here?”

“Are you kidding? They’d probably lock my doors if they knew I was actually training to fight.”

The fact that she was lying, or at least not being totally open with her parents about the time she spent with me made me more than a little uneasy. Something of that must have shown in my expression because she leaned forward, suddenly serious.

“Hey, it’s _my_ decision how I spend my time, okay? Just because I live with them doesn’t mean they get to dictate my life. I’d have gotten a place of my own by now if I could, but you probably noticed there aren’t a lot of apartment buildings in Pelican.”

I winced. “Sorry. I don’t mean to treat you like a kid.”

“You’d better not.” Her tone was heated, and I couldn’t tell if it was just because she hated being condescended to. “If you’re tired of teaching me, then fine, but don’t make it something silly about my parents.”

“I’m not tired of teaching you at all,” I replied earnestly. “I guess I’m just wondering what I should say to your parents if they ask.”

She gave a borderline evil grin. “Easy. Tell them to talk to me. I’ll take care of it. After all, I know how to fight now.”

Looking into her blazing, determined face, I pitied the person who tried to tell her what she could or couldn’t do.


	3. A waltz for the chance I should take

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from the song "So She Dances" by Josh Groban

I debated strongly whether or not I wanted to attend the Egg Festival this year. Unlike many of the other town events, say the Fair or the Winter Feast, there wasn’t a whole lot for the adults to do. It was a lot more about the children and the Egg Hunt. I’d gone the first year I moved to Stardew Valley because I didn’t want people to think I was a recluse, but I’d spent most of the time eating and chatting with some of the parents. In the end, the memory of Gus’s incredible cooking was what persuaded me to go back.

The day itself was beautiful, sunny and warmer than it had been the whole year. I found a seat next to Robyn and Demetrius, being sure to stay carefully out of sight of Pierre and Caroline. I’d seen the storekeeper a couple times since the encounter in the graveyard, and while he didn’t seem to be holding a grudge against me, I figured it was better to be safe.

At some point Mayor Lewis called out to have anyone who wanted to participate in the Egg Hunt gather in the middle of the square. Demetrius was talking to me about some potential uses for the cave on my farm, so I didn’t pay much attention to the sudden bustle. That was, until someone tapped me on the shoulder. I twisted around in my seat and found Abby standing right behind me, a huge grin on her face.

“Aren’t you entering the Egg Hunt?” she asked.

I looked at her, nonplussed. “Isn’t that for the kids?”

She rolled her eyes, an expression I was becoming extremely familiar with. “It’s for anyone who wants to. Come on, it’s fun! Alex is already over there, and you’re doing it too, right Maru?”

Across from me, Robyn and Demetrius’s daughter sighed heavily and pushed herself out of her chair like she was arthritic. “I don’t know why I bother, but sure, why not?”

“Awesome!” Without waiting for any kind of confirmation, Abby seized my hand and pulled me out of my chair. She dragged us over to the square, where Jas, Vincent, and Sam were already lined up. Maru trailed us at a somewhat more sedate pace.

“Alright, is that everyone?” Mayor Lewis asked, rubbing his hands together and looking up and down the line. “Before we get started, Abigail?”

Abby groaned and shucked off her sweater vest and started turning out her, seemingly empty, pockets.

“What’s going on?” I muttered to Maru.

“He’s making sure Abigail’s not cheating,” she whispered back.

I frowned. “Does she do that a lot?”

“Not that we’ve ever been able to prove.” In response to my continued confusion, she elaborated, “Abby’s won the Egg Hunt for the last fifteen years in a row. Pretty much as soon as she could walk on her own. I don’t even know why anyone else bothers trying anymore.”

I wanted to ask a dozen more questions, but the inspection was evidently over because Lewis spoke up again in his official Mayor Voice. “Okay then! You all know the rules; you’ve got five minutes to find as many eggs as you can. The person with the most eggs wins the prize!”

Jas and Vincent began squealing in excitement, while next to me Abby was stretching out her legs exaggeratedly.

“Ready to get your ass kicked,” she said to me, and her smile suddenly had a predatory edge to it.

I gaped for a second at the abrupt change in her demeanor, and I almost missed Lewis shouting, “GO!”

The six of us immediately scattered, running from the square like it was on fire. Purely off of instinct, I started following Sam, who was definitely moving the fastest. However, it quickly became apparent that he had no idea what he was doing. His head was spinning this way and that far too quickly for him to possibly spot anything, and he kept looking in ridiculous places, like inside garbage cans and the tops of awnings that no one but him could possibly reach.

I had better luck after I struck out on my own, finding a couple eggs hidden behind a bush and in the back of Lewis’s truck, for some reason. Occasionally I caught glimpses of the others looking through the grass or peeking into potted plants. Jazz and Vincent seemed to be having a great time, giggling and running around like…well, kids. Maru was dragging her feet and looking bored, while Sam continued to resemble a frantic puppy.

Abigail on the other hand, made it look like she was taking a casual stroll. Her pace was completely unhurried, and yet every time I saw her, she was carrying more and more eggs, until her arms were literally overflowing.

When Lewis blew on his whistle and we returned to the square, it was immediately obvious who had won. Yet for some reason, the Mayor still felt the need to count. In the end, Abby managed to bring in nearly twenty eggs, more than all the rest of us combined.

At one point Lewis leaned over to Marnie and I was pretty sure I heard him whisper, “Did we even hide that many?” To which she shrugged helplessly.

Through it all, Abigail just stood in the middle of us, bobbing up and down on her heels and looking almost unbearably smug. When Lewis announced the inevitable winner, I waited to see what prize had her so excited to win.

It was a hat.

A _straw_ hat.

She didn’t even put it on when Lewis handed it to her, instead tossing it off to a delighted Jas and Vincent.

“Umm,” I said when she turned back to me. “Why’d you make me join in if you knew you were gonna win?”

She smiled sweetly up at me. “I got tired of beating everyone else. I thought it’d be fun to beat _you_ for a change.”

***

I got back at Abby a couple weeks later, although I hadn’t planned it beforehand. The Flower Dance was easily the most formal event held in Stardew Valley, including the Luau. The previous year, I had mostly hung back and tried to look small. I certainly hadn’t asked anyone to dance, given that I’d barely been in the Valley a month. Now, a year later, I felt a little more comfortable and debating whether to give it a try. I’d become friends with Emily and Leah, I was pretty sure they’d be up for a dance.

And then of course, there was Abby.

I wasn’t really sure where we stood anymore. She still came by the farm a couple times a week to train with me, although I was rapidly running out of things to teach her. Despite her growing proficiency though, she kept asking for my help perfecting new moves. I was now positive she used these moments as an excuse to get as close to me as possible. There were times when I was practically embracing her, and each time it seemed we were more reluctant to break apart. Our snack breaks were growing longer as well, often extending into the evening. More than once she’d had to rush out when she realized she was late for dinner with her parents.

What I didn’t know was whether this was just how Abby acted with friends, or if she was genuinely interested in me. I’d seen her around town or at the pub with Sebastian and Sam on occasion, and she didn’t seem to get as close to them as she did me, but maybe I was just missing it.

At this point it was a foregone conclusion that I was attracted to her. It was impossible _not_ to be; she was funny, smart, adventurous, and incredibly beautiful. But I was hesitant to push for anything more than friendship, partially due to my concerns about how that might look to the rest of the town, but mostly because of the disparity in our ages. I wasn’t old by any means, but twenty to twenty-six was still a pretty big gap.

I decided it was best to just keep things friendly for now. No need to stir up any drama. After all, I remembered distinctly that Abby had danced with Sebastian last year. I didn’t want to get in the way if he liked her.

It was with this resolution in mind that I got dressed up in the required powder blue tux and marched into the forest. I would have felt ridiculous looking if all the men weren’t decked out in identical suits, and the women in flowing white dresses that just barely avoided looking like wedding outfits.

There were already a few people present when I arrived, milling around the clearing. Pierre had his usual stand set up, and Gus was putting the finishing touches on the food and drink offerings. I grabbed a cup of iced tea and surveyed the scene. Haley appeared to be practicing her dance moves in the center of the meadow, her expression so serious I had to stifle a laugh. Caroline was deep in conversation with Jodi while Penny and Maru raided the food table. It took me a minute to spot Abby, hiding in the shade of a large oak.

Without consciously deciding to do it, I was walking over to her. I might have been imagining it, but she seemed to go pale when she saw me approaching. I mean, paler than usual.

“Hi,” I said when I reached her.

“Hi,” she mumbled back, looking down at her feet, clad for once not in combat boots but delicate white slippers.

“You look nice,” I offered. It was true that the white dress was a far cry from her usual dark clothing, but I thought it complemented her hair color beautifully.

A slight flush appeared on Abby’s cheeks. “My mom makes me wear the dress. I hate dancing in front of everyone.”

“You don’t like dancing?” I asked, trying not to sound disappointed.

“Dancing’s fine, it’s just everyone staring.” She rubbed her arms. “Makes me uncomfortable.”

I made a noncommittal noise and then, before I could stop myself, I said, “Well, since your mom’s making you, do you want to dance with me today?”

Abby looked up at me for the first time since I’d come over, her eyes wide as saucers.

I backtracked quickly. “You don’t have to, if you’d rather not. I just thought I’d offer, if you felt like it.”

“No, I’d – I’d love to,” she stammered, blushing heavily now.

“Are you sure?” I checked, only just remembering my decision _not_ to ask her and complicate things. “I know you usually dance with Sebastian, I don’t want to leave him without a partner…”

“Oh no he hates dancing,” Abby waved away my concern, some of her composure returning. “He just does it to make it easier on me. He’ll be thrilled not to have to.”

“Oh, well good,” I said, feeling horribly awkward. “I mean, we don’t want to make Sebastian any more unhappy than he is already. He might just melt into a puddle of angst.”

“Hey!” Abby pushed me lightly on the shoulder, but she was giggling. “That’s terrible, he’s a perfectly cheerful, happy-”

She broke down before she could get the sentence out and we both dissolved into quiet laughter. Sebastian was a lot of things, and I actually liked him quite a bit, but he was definitely _not_ cheerful.

“Alright then,” I said once we’d recovered, feeling suddenly giddy. “I guess I’ll come find you when it’s time to dance.”

“Looking forward to it!” she replied, and to my mild surprise, she sounded completely genuine.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur. The clearing quickly filled up with the rest of the villagers, and I found myself drawn into a conversation about literature with Leah and Eliot that I was not at all qualified to be part of. From the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian talking with Abigail near the food table. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I hoped I was correctly interpreting the look of relief on Sebastian’s face. Presumably Abby had just told him he was off the hook as far as dancing was concerned.

When the appointed hour arrived, we all lined up in the center of the clearing. Tradition dictated that the unmarried young people in the town began the dance before others joined in. I stood facing Abby at the end of the line, butterflies in my stomach. She smiled at me, looking more nervous than I’d ever seen her.

At Lewis’s signal, the men stepped forward, offering their hands to the ladies. Abigail’s fingers shook slightly as she placed them in my palm, even though this was far from the first time we’d clasped hands. I drew her close and we assumed a traditional dancing pose, my hand on her waist, hers on my shoulder. Then the music started, and we began to dance.

Technically speaking we weren’t required to stick to any particular style of dance. Most couples, notably Haley and Alex, went with a standard ballroom number, but Eliot and Leah had chosen a flamboyant tango completely out of sync with the music.

“I don’t really know a lot of dances,” Abby muttered to me.

I smiled. “Just follow my lead.”

Slowly at first, but then faster as she started to catch on, I walked her through a relatively simple waltz. After our weeks of combat training, Abby had become increasingly accustomed to copying my movements, and this was surprisingly similar.

“You never told me you were a dancer,” she said, starting to relax.

Feeling bold, I prompted her to twirl, pulling her close as she came around. “I minored in ballroom in college. It was the only part I enjoyed.”

Abigail threw her head back and laughed loud enough to draw curious stares from the other couples. “And your dad was okay with that?”

I shrugged. “He actually didn’t mind. Said maybe it would help me find a wife.”

Abby raised an amused eyebrow. “How’s that working out for you?”

“Still looking,” I said with exaggerated regret. “And here I thought women liked men who could dance.”

She nodded along agreeably. “It’s supposed to make you good in bed.”

Now it was my turn to blush. “I, um, I’m not sure I know anything about that.”

“You mean you’re _not_ good in bed?” Abby teased me with a smirk.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I responded before I could think better of it, but luckily Abby laughed again, apparently comfortable with our banter.

The music shifted into something particularly lively, and I responded in kind. Abby kept up with me easily. We’d pulled even closer together, like we would have in practice so that she could feel and anticipate the movements of my body. I couldn’t help noticing the contrast with the other dancers, especially Harvey and Maru, who were holding each other almost at arm’s length. This close, each breath brought the floral scent of Abby’s perfume deep into my lungs. I felt intoxicated, like I’d been drinking the finest wine.

“This is nice,” Abigail said quietly at one point. “Much better than usual.”

“Not nervous about people watching?”

Her voice was even quieter when she replied, “What people?”

In that instant, I wanted nothing more than to close those last few inches between us and kiss her. Would her lips be as soft as I’d imagined? Would she press herself even closer to me?

Abigail’s hand tightened in mine, and she stared up at me with wide eyes, like she was wondering the exact same things.

For a moment it seemed like we would give in. My head started to lower, and hers tilted just the tiniest bit…

And then, Mayor Lewis’s voice rang out, breaking the spell we’d been under.

“Alright folks, it’s getting a bit late so let’s start packing it up! Please grab some food on your way out, and make sure you didn’t leave any garbage!”

Slowly, reluctantly, we separated, our hands dropping to our sides. For a few long seconds we simply stood, staring at each other.

Abby was the one who spoke first. “Well, thanks for dancing with me. It was a lot of fun.”

I struggled to find something to say; an apology for pushing this so far, or a plea to take it farther. But all I could come up with was, “The pleasure was all mine.”

She smiled slightly, that little blush creeping back onto her face. “See you tomorrow for practice?”

“Sure thing.”


	4. Falling for you

It was hard to focus on anything Thursday morning. The prospect of seeing Abigail so soon after the dance made it difficult for me to complete even the most ordinary chores. At one point, while remembering the scent of her perfume, I literally poured water all over one of the chickens. Then, as if I felt the need to make my mistakes mirror each other, I spent more than half an hour scattering handfuls of hay across the cauliflower while fantasizing about the feel of Abby’s skin.

By the time Abby showed up I was attempting to salvage several plants I had, for some unknown reason, hit with an axe. She found me kneeling next to a mutilated strawberry plant, cursing worse than Willy during low tide.

“This a bad time?” she asked, smiling a bit uncertainly. “I can come back tomorrow or something…”

“No it’s fine,” I huffed irritably, standing and discarding the ruined plant. “I just messed up a bunch of the strawberries. It was almost time for the harvest too, but I won’t be able to use these. Probably going to cost me a couple hundred at least.

She winced sympathetically. “Sorry about that. Maybe I can convince my dad to give you a discount or something?”

That was seriously tempting. “I don’t know if I should risk it. I think he was eyeing me yesterday after the dance.”

Abby’s eyes nearly disappeared into the top of her head. “He gives that look to _anyone_ who comes within a yard of me. You’re his best customer, he always says so.”

That brought me up short. “Really? But he buys from me too, doesn’t that kind of cancel it out?”

“Not when you’re selling him better crops than any of his other suppliers,” she countered. “Seriously, you’re giving him some good stuff. Sales have been up this year. That hasn’t happened since before Joja moved in.”

I blinked, not sure how to take this information. It was true, I put a lot of care into my crops. I’d nearly spent all of my savings last year making sure I was using the best fertilizer, and I’d deliberately avoided selling anything I felt wasn’t good enough. However, I’d assumed my relative inexperience with farming would have balanced things out. It was hard to believe that I’d had _that_ much of an impact on Pierre’s sales.

Abby seemed to sense my skepticism and made an impatient noise. “I swear I’m not messing with you or anything. Sam told me they finally got Vince to start eating vegetables, but _only_ if they’re yours. My mom made a crumble with that rhubarb you brought in last week; I swear I thought I’d died and gone to heaven and I don’t even _like_ rhubarb.”

An unfamiliar sense of pride started to replace uncertainty. “Heaven, huh?”

Her smile turned mischievous. “I had to stop myself moaning out loud at the table. I tried sneaking into the kitchen that night to steal the rest, but my dad had already beaten me to it. And that wasn’t even the best of the batch you brought in.”

I felt heat creep up my neck. That was the second time in two days that Abby had openly made a sexual comment to me. I knew the smart thing would be to just brush past it, but my mouth had other ideas.

“If it was that good with something you don’t like, maybe I should get you something you _do_ like. Send you to heaven properly, you know.”

It was a blatantly flirtatious remark, but Abby’s grin just broadened. “Well, if you _really_ wanna get me going, make me a blackberry cobbler. It’s probably my favorite thing in the world. Besides amethyst,” she amended.

Somehow I wasn’t surprised. Abigail was nothing if not consistent with the colors of things she liked. Against all odds, I found my spirits lifting. It was impossible to stay in a bad mood when Abby was around.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I promised, dusting off my hands. “Should we get down to it?”

Once in the forest, we ran through a few warmups before starting up a training set for one of the toughest monsters I’d ever come across.

“Marlon says these are shamans of some kind. The first time I saw one, I just ran in the other direction. If you absolutely _have_ to fight one, you have to be as fast as possible.”

For once, I could actively participate in this exercise. While standing a few dozen feet apart, I threw acorns at Abby while she tried to get close to me without being hit. It wasn’t a perfect substitute for the shamans’ magical blasts, but seeing as how I didn’t _know_ any magic, it was the best we were going to get.

However, one problem became immediately apparent.

“You’re not throwing them hard enough,” Abby griped the third time she made it to me without being hit. “Are you really telling me they’re that slow in the mines?”

“Well funny enough, I’m not very inclined to pelt you with acorns,” I replied heatedly.

“And I’m sure I’ll be super happy you spared me a couple bruises when I’m a charred corpse because I wasn’t prepared enough. Throw like a man for fuck’s sake!”

Practice got a little more…intense after that. Acorns flew across the forest like missiles while Abby ducked and wove like a maniac. She was pretty fast, but I still managed to hit her occasionally. The first time, I almost stopped breathing, waiting for her to yell at me, regardless what she’d said before. But all she did was check her shoulder, grin wildly at me, and say, “See! That’s what I’m talking about!”

Every time she got tagged by an acorn, Abby went back to where she’d started. I knew from unfortunate experience that it only took one hit to take you out of the fight. It therefore took her a few tries to make it all the way to me. Her eyes were narrowed in determination, and she moved as fast as I’d ever seen her. She sidestepped my last acorn only a couple feet from me, and a triumphant grin spread across her face.

Then, she tripped over a tree root.

Time seemed to slow as her expression went from ecstatic to stunned and she tumbled toward me. Luckily, she wasn’t carrying her sword, just to be safe, so I didn’t have to worry about her accidentally running me through. But I didn’t have much time to do anything except spread my arms and do my best to catch her.

It sort of worked.

I did get a good hold of her, but she’d built up too much momentum for me to fully absorb. I went tumbling backward, instinctively wrapping my arms around her and tucking her head against my chest. Then I hit the ground, the impact knocking the breath out of me. By some miracle, I kept Abby secure, so she didn’t headbutt me or go bouncing off across the forest floor.

For what felt like a small eternity, I just laid on the ground, working to get air back into my lungs. Eventually, I realized I was still holding Abby tightly against me. I loosened my grip a little and she lifted her head tentatively.

“Sorry about that,” she said breathlessly, her vibrant green eyes wide. “Thanks for catching me.”

“No problem,” I mumbled, still struggling a bit to breathe. “I was planning on covering tackling anyway.”

Abby giggled, causing her hair to sway and tickle the side of my face. Again my nostrils were filled with the heady scent of her perfume. This was the closest we’d ever been to each other, and I could no longer tell if the spinning in my head was from the fall or the beautiful woman laying on top of me.

Maybe Abby felt it too, because her eyes were still wide. Then again, that could just as easily have been residual shock from the fall. I shouldn’t just assume the attraction was mutual.

“I think maybe we’ll call it a day,” I decided.

I half expected Abby to protest; she usually wanted to keep practicing ‘til we both collapsed, but she just nodded. She pushed herself carefully to her feet, and I immediately missed the wonderful feel of her. I followed, much more slowly as my muscles howled at me. The next few days were not going to be pleasant, but I knew the assortment of bruises and scrapes were more than worth it.

“Something to drink?” Abby suggested, a hopeful note in her voice.

“Absolutely,” I agreed fervently.

The walk back to the farmhouse was more sedate than usual. I was pretty positive I had pulled a calf muscle, and Abby seemed to be limping slightly.

“You alright?” I asked in concern.

She winced. “Think I twisted my ankle on that root.”

“Want a shoulder to lean on?” I offered, trying not to think about how eager I was to have her near me again.

“Please?”

She leaned against me, and I wrapped an arm around her waist to help support her weight. We moved even slower this way, but I barely noticed. It could take a week to get back to the house for all I cared.

However, all good things come to an end, and we did eventually make it inside. I helped her gingerly into a chair before grabbing some ice from the freezer. I wrapped it up in a towel and handed it to her.

“I am so sorry,” she said again as I helped her prop up her leg on a chair and applied the ice. “Did I hurt you?”

“The ground a lot more than you,” I quipped. When she winced apologetically, I rushed to reassure her, “Seriously, I’ve had a lot worse. Look at this.” I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt to show her a set of jagged scars that ran from my shoulder down my bicep.

Abby’s eyes widened. “Holy shit! What the hell gave you those?”

I dropped my sleeve and focused back on her ankle. “I’m not sure, I never got a good look at it. It had some sharp claws though. Harvey gave me a talking to after that, let me tell you. Speaking of which, you should probably see him tomorrow if you can.”

Abby made a face. “I hate going to Harvey. He always tells me I need to eat more vegetables.”

“He tells _everyone_ to eat more vegetables.” Satisfied that the ice was securely in place, I got up and went to put a kettle on the stove. “Tea?”

“If you’ve got green.”

“I do in fact,” I said with a smile. “Your mom gave me a sapling back at the start of spring.”

Abby’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow, she must really like you. She only gets those for friends.”

“Good to know at least one of your parents likes me,” I remarked, pulling out mugs and tea leaves.

“You’re real obsessed with what my parents think of you, aren’t you?” Even with my back turned, I could imagine the expression on her face.

I shrugged. “It’s a small town. Better to stay on folks’ good sides.”

I turned to see her looking at me quizzically. “Are you this concerned about Jodi and Kent? Or Pam?”

“None of _their_ kids are asking me to teach them how to fight,” I deflected. “Besides, your parents seem a little more…” I trailed off, searching for the right word.

“Stifling?” Abby suggested.

“I was gonna say concerned,” I said, focusing on steeping our tea.

She snorted. “ _Your_ parents sounded concerned. Mine are gonna give me an aneurysm.”

I slid her mug across the table. “Still fighting with them?”

“All the time,” she muttered, picking up her mug and inhaling the steam. “I decided not to enroll in classes next semester.”

She said it quickly, as if she wanted to get the words out before they strangled her.

I raised my eyebrows. “How come?”

She cocked her head to the side. “Some of the conversations we’ve had I guess. Hearing about how you got stuck in that job made me think about what I was doing. I don’t want to coast into a career I hate just because it’s what I’m supposed to do. There’s no point to keeping up with school if I have no idea what I’m going to _do_ with it.”

I took a careful sip of my tea, trying to keep my expression neutral. “What’d your folks say?”

Abby scowled. “They blew up at me. I thought they’d be happy; they’re the ones paying for it after all. My dad keeps saying I’m just wasting money and time, I figured he wouldn’t mind. But he was furious, said I was throwing away my future.” She let out a frustrated noise. “Neither of them even went to college! They spent most of their twenties living in a van, wandering all over the country. Where do they get off telling me what _I_ should do?”

“Maybe they regret it and want something better for you?” I suggested diplomatically.

She let out a laugh. “Pfft, yeah right! Dad still smokes weed whenever he can get away with it. And Mom’s always talking about how much she misses going places. It’s totally hypocritical!”

“Parents can be like that,” I conceded. “For what it’s worth, I totally get it. If I could go back and do it over again, I probably wouldn’t go to college.”

Abby looked deeply relieved. “I was hoping you’d be supportive. And it’s not like I’m not trying to figure my life out; I just don’t think college is helping.”

“Hey, you don’t have to explain that to me. I’m not exactly using my accounting degree for much these days,” I joked.

“But you are getting some mileage out of that dancing minor,” she grinned.

“Still no wife though,” I lamented.

“Hey, you’re young, there’s plenty of time for that.”

I forced a smile and hid my face in my mug.

Even with the ice, Abby’s ankle was pretty stiff by the time she was ready to go home. I insisted on helping her walk back, over her protests.

“What if you collapse on the way back?” I argued. “I’m not having you crawl half a mile in the dark.”

She acquiesced fairly quickly, and we started the slow journey to town. We didn’t talk much on the way, mostly focusing on not tripping over each other. It wasn’t as awkward as I’d feared though. Apparently the last several weeks of training had gotten us pretty familiar with each other’s movements.

We paused at the edge of the lamplight near Abby’s building. Neither of us said anything for a while, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Thanks again,” Abby said eventually, not quite looking at me. “You know, for getting me home. And, well, all of it.”

“Anytime,” I said fervently.

She made as if to go inside, then hesitated. She seemed to be trying to make up her mind about something. Then, fast enough that it took me by surprise, she reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck. I recovered quickly and returned the hug, holding her close for several long, beautiful moments.

“Okay, well, see you later,” she said when she pulled away. I was positive she was blushing again, but the dim light made it hard to tell.

I watched her until she disappeared into the building. As I returned to my farm, the only thing that stopped me from skipping was my aching muscles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear opinions from anyone reading this fic. Writing has been really hard this year and it doesn't feel like my best work. It'd be great to get feedback and constructive critiques!


	5. Afraid to Tell You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello wonderful readers and Happy Holidays! It's a fairly short update today, but an important one. This is where I really start to diverge from the script set by the game. You'll likely recognize Abigail's 8 heart event, but notice the ways I've tweaked it. Going forward I'll be using less of the specific dialogue from the game and treating events more as broad frameworks. None of that is to disparage ConcernedApe's writing, I just think the needs of written stories are different than games. I hope you all continue to enjoy, and as always comments and feedback are more than welcome!

Abby’s ankle ended up being sprained, although Harvey said it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Evidently, her combat boots had kept her ankle from twisting very far. Still, he’d told her to stay off her foot as much as possible for a couple weeks, which meant no training for a while. I tried to focus on my work around the farm, but I quickly stared to miss her. I’d gone from seeing her every few days to not at all, and it was like I was going through withdrawal. Everywhere I went, everything I did, she was all I could think about.

I’d been nervous to go see her because I still wasn’t sure where I stood with Pierre. Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore. He could toss me out and refuse to sell to me anymore; I really didn’t care. I _needed_ to see her, hear her voice, breathe in the incredible scent of her.

My best excuse for stopping by would be that I was dropping off my latest goods. I called Lewis, and he came by with the truck to help me bring in the latest batch of fruits and veggies. It had been a good spring, and I had a fairly large haul.

I deliberately timed my delivery to coincide with the busiest part of Pierre’s day, when folks were shopping for dinner. Sure enough, when we pulled the truck up, half the town was crowded into the shop.

“Hey Pierre!” I called over the din. “Here with the latest.”

“Okay, cool, just stack it up like usual,” a frazzled Pierre shouted back.

Lewis was nice enough to help me unload, and I thanked him with a carton of strawberries I _hadn’t_ taken an axe to. Once we were done, I wandered up to the front, where Pierre was fighting a losing battle with his ancient cash register.

“Looks a bit crazy right now, we can settle up later,” I offered.

A look of incredible relief spread over his face. “Oh really? Thank you, that would be _so_ helpful. I can’t remember the last time it was this busy.”

“No problem.” I waited until Marnie was approaching with a full basket before saying, “Hey, I heard about Abby, mind if I go see how she’s doing?”

“Yeah, sure, go for it,” Pierre replied absently as he started ringing Marnie up. Satisfied that he probably hadn’t even heard my request, I slipped through the door into the actual house part of the building.

Abby’s door was closed, and I knocked lightly. She sounded more than a little vexed when she called, “Come in”

Hesitantly, I eased the door open and peeked my head in. Abby was propped up against the end of her bed, a controller in her hands. True to my suspicion, her face was scrunched up in annoyance, but the lines smoothed out to a broad smile when she saw me.

“Oh, it’s you! I thought it was my mom again, she keeps hovering.”

“I can go get her if you want?” I made like I was about to leave.

“You do it and I’ll break your jaw!” she threatened playfully. “Come on, get in here! I’m going crazy sitting still all the time.”

“No one’s visiting?” I asked, closing the door and moving into the bedroom.

“Not really,” she griped. “Sam’s been working overtime and Sebastian’s in one of his moods. It’s just been me, my mom, and the Prairie King. Feel like playing again? I bet we can at least get to level three.”

That sounded more than acceptable to me. I grabbed the other controller and settled onto the ground next to her bed. What followed was one of the most enjoyable afternoons I could remember. Every time we got surrounded by the little orc bad guys, we would start freaking out and screaming over each other. Caroline poked her head in a couple times, but always ducked out before either of us could say anything.

Eventually we managed to make it to level three and beyond. On level four we held out as long as possible before we both ended up trapped in corners as enemies closed in around us. As both our icons snapped out of existence and the game over screen came up, Abby fell back on the bed, laughing in excitement.

“That was awesome!” she said, turning on her side to look at me. With me on the floor, it put us at perfect eye level.

“Yeah it was,” I agreed fervently. I glanced at the window and realized it was already dark. I hadn’t been paying any attention to the time.

“I know you probably have to get home soon,” Abby said, catching on, “but I got a new game I wanted to show you. Should only take a couple minutes.”

I really should have been back home by now to put away the animals and do my nightly walk through the farm. But I leapt at the chance to spend even a few more minutes with Abigail.

I thought she’d been talking about a video game, but she reached under her bed and pulled out a dark wooden box. Opening it, I saw an intricately carved board inlaid with letters and symbols, some of which I vaguely recognized.

“It’s a spirit board!” Abby explained excitedly. “Have you ever used one?”

“No,” I replied absently, still trying to remember where I’d seen some of those markings. Then it came to me; a few of the more intricate symbols ringed the summoning circle in the Wizard’s tower.

Abigail seemed oblivious to my curiosity. “Come on up, sit on the other side of it.” I got onto the bed opposite Abby. “Okay, you put your hands on either side of it like this. And if we’re lucky the spirits will communicate with us by moving the planchette.”

I nodded, still thinking about Rasmodius’s circle. I’d seen him do incredible things in that circle, summon elementals and demons. Could this little board really do something similar…?

“Look, it’s moving!” Abby cried out, but she needn’t have, I’d almost jumped out of my skin. The little planchette was slowly inching its way across the carvings, seemingly of its own volition. I watched breathlessly as it came to a brief rest over a letter.

“The first letter is ‘I,’” Abby said excitedly.

Then the planchette was moving again, this time landing on one of the symbols.

“I think that’s a heart!” Abby supplied. “Wow, look at it go!”

We both waited, barely breathing as it continued to slide. It paused next over a ‘Y.’ Then, just as it crossed onto an ‘O,’ the board slid over the side of the bed and landed on the floor with a dull thump.

“Oops, knocked it over,” Abby said, speaking so fast her words were a blur. “Guess I’m a bit clumsy today. It’s just a silly game, it doesn’t mean anything.”

But it looked like it meant a _lot_ to her. I’d never seen her cheeks so red, and the grin she tried to give me was jittery and strained. Not that I could blame her. I’d seen magic before, but I hadn’t expected it from a board game. Clearly the spirits had been communicating with us, channeling our thoughts. The question was: whose? If you’d asked me a minute ago, I’d assume it was projecting _my_ feelings for Abby. Now, however, looking at her expression, nervous to the point of fear, I wondered…

Abby was making a big production of not looking at me while she gathered up the fallen board and planchette and put them back in the box. “Well, I’m guessing you’ve gotta get home now, I don’t want to keep you.”

It was clearly an invitation to leave, and as much as I wanted to know what had just happened, I could tell how uncomfortable she was. I said goodbye and snuck quietly out of the house, doing my best to avoid her parents.

Despite the lateness of the hour, I took my time walking home. There was a lot to think about, not least of which was where things stood with us. In the cool night air, my suspicion that the board had been showing Abigail’s feelings sounded much sillier. More likely she had seen that it was about to say ‘I heart you,’ assumed it was coming from _me_ , and tipped it over to avoid an awkward conversation. We’d developed a close friendship over the last year, and yes it had been a little flirtatious lately, but I still had no reason to think she was _actually_ interested in me romantically. I was more than half a decade older than her and a _farmer_ for goodness sake. She talked all the time about how she felt stifled by the valley. Surely someone like Sebastian or Sam would be better for her, someone whose future wasn’t tied to Stardew Valley…

Then again, all those little touches and glances and comments couldn’t be _just_ platonic, could they? I liked to think I was a reasonably sensitive person, and it seemed like there was at least a small spark between us. But maybe I was just imagining it.

By the time I got home, I’d mange to thoroughly confuse myself. I didn’t get to sleep until it was so late that I was literally about to collapse. Even then, my dreams were filled with visions of purple and green…


	6. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from Shakespeare's 18th Sonnet (which a bunch of you probably guessed and yeah I know it's cliché but I couldn't resist).

Summer came, bringing with it clear skies and high temperatures. Abby and I continued to train, albeit more sporadically than before. By her own admission, she hated the summer, and after a day spent sweating over crops, I wasn’t as inclined to exert myself with a sword either.

However, to my surprise, this didn’t mean I saw any less of her. After the incident with the spirit board, I’d expected Abby to put some distance between us, but she continued to come by the farm at least a couple times a week. Mostly we just chatted while I worked on my chores or sat around the table with cold drinks.

“I’ve always loved this place,” she remarked one afternoon when we were walking through my mini forest. I was looking at the ground, checking the undergrowth and inspecting roots to make sure the trees were healthy. Abby meanwhile was busy gazing up at the sunlight streaming through the foliage.

“Really?” I asked, looking up in interest.

She nodded. “Oh yeah, I used to come here all the time before you moved in. It always felt…magical. Or more magical than any other part of town at least.”

I paused, debating with myself for several long moments. They’d never appeared to anyone else, but I had an instinct they might make an exception for Abby.

“Come on,” I said, making up my mind. “I have something I want to show you.”

Abby looked excited and intrigued, but she quickly grew skeptical when she realized I was leading her back towards town.

“You really think you can show _me_ something new about this place?” she asked disbelievingly. “You know I’ve lived here my _whole_ life right?”

“I think you mentioned that once or twice,” I replied airily. “Trust me, you’ve never seen this before.”

When we passed the fountain and up the overgrown path to the community center, she made it very clear that she did _not_ trust me.

She laughed. “Are you serious? The community center? What are we going to find in there, giant rats?”

“Be patient,” I told her sternly. “And don’t make too much noise, they get scared easily.”

“Who does? Are you playing some kind of prank on me?”

I ignored her, easing the door open and drawing her inside with me. The interior was slightly less dilapidated looking than when I’d first seen it, but not by much. I led Abby slowly toward the Junimo hut in the corner.

“I don’t remember that. Who put that there?” Despite her incredulity, Abby’s voice was low.

“You’ll see,” I promised.

I stopped us a few feet away and carefully crouched down. Abby mimicked me, peering interestedly at the impenetrable darkness past the mouth of the hut.

“Hi there,” I called gently. “I hope you don’t mind, I brought a friend today. I think you’ll like her, she’s very nice. Do you want to come meet her?”

Abby looked at me curiously but didn’t say anything. For several minutes we stayed like that, crouched down in front of the hut. Just when I was beginning to think they would avoid Abby just like they had Lewis, I heard a small squeak.

Abby gasped when she saw one of the little forest spirits edge slowly into the light. It paused just outside the hut, appearing to evaluate this new person.

“It’s alright,” I said encouragingly. “She’s a friend.”

Evidently I had built up enough trust with the spirits for them to take my word. Still slightly reticent, the Junimo hopped over until it was just out of arm’s reach from Abby.

“What is it?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the little green creature.

I repeated the words I’d heard over a year prior. “They call themselves Junimos. They’re forest spirits. They moved in here after people stopped using the place. I’m helping them repair it.”

“So they’re, like, intelligent?”

“Extremely,” I nodded. “Also very shy. I wasn’t totally sure they’d be willing to let you see them.”

Carefully, Abby raised a hand and waved at the Junimo. “Hi there, I’m Abigail.”

The Junimo considered her carefully before squeaking out a greeting. I smiled and turned to translate, but Abby was already responding.

“Well thank you. It’s nice to meet you too.”

I gaped at her. “You can understand them?”

“Sort of,” she said, her brow furrowing slightly. “Not really words, but I get the meaning, you know? Can you not?”

“No I can, but only because Rasmodius gave me a potion.” The fact that she didn’t need the Wizard’s assistance further supported my hunch that Abby’s unusual tendencies ran deeper than just a strange hair color…

More Junimos began emerging from the hut now. Soon we were surrounded by a bouncing sea of brightly colored spirits.

Abby laughed joyfully. “They’re so beautiful!”

“You got that right,” I muttered quietly enough that she wouldn’t hear me.

The Junimos insisted on giving Abby a tour of the community center, showing her the gradual improvements we were making.

“They ask for specific things to help them,” I explained as we walked through the old kitchen. “I’m not really sure how it works, but I’m hoping that we can get it back to the way it was before.”

“That’s so cool! Can I help too?”

The Junimos responded with an enthusiastic affirmative.

It was dusk by the time we emerged from the community center. Abby had a bounce in her step as we walked back to the town proper.

“Thank you for introducing me,” she said. “I had no idea there was anything like that around here.”

“There’s a lot in this valley,” I remarked wistfully. “As long as you know where to look.”

She slipped her arm through mine and smiled up at me, causing my heart to skip a beat. “Well then it’s lucky I have such a good guide.”

***

“Are you going to the Luau tomorrow?”

I looked over at Abby, picking blueberries at the bush next to me. She was fiddling absently with a few leaves.

“Marnie didn’t make it sound optional,” I remarked.

Abby chuckled. “Very true. What are you bringing?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” I groaned. “She just said ‘vegetable.’ That’s it! Well I’ve got lots of vegetables; I’ve got tomatoes and peppers and corn and cabbage-”

“If you put cabbage in that soup,” Abby interrupted, pointing a finger at me, “I swear they’ll never find your body.”

I smiled despite myself. “Okay, that’s one option down, but I’ve still got a bunch of other stuff. What do you think I should give her?”

Abby gave a derisive snort. “Don’t ask me, I hate vegetables.”

I frowned. “All vegetables?”

“ _All_ vegetables.” She made a gagging noise. “Just…no. If we were meant to eat vegetables we wouldn’t have invented cake.”

“Noted.” I filed away that information for future reference. _Don’t get Abby vegetables_. But that still left me with my immediate predicament.

“Okay, fine,” Abby sighed, taking pity on me. “What kind of peppers do you have?”

“Quite a few actually. Mild, spicy, you name it. That weird cart lady even sold me a few super hot ones from the Gotoro Empire.” I paused. “But aren’t peppers technically fruit?”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Sure, whatever, you farm nerd. I was just thinking that the soup is usually kind of bland. Everyone has to contribute and it’s pretty much impossible to get decent flavor with that many ingredients. Maybe if you gave Marnie a spicy pepper, and I mean like blow your face off spicy, it’ll kinda boost everything else.”

I thought about it for several moments. “I suppose that makes sense. Sure, why not? I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Abby pretended to consider. “Well, the Governor could hate it and then everyone will hate _you_.”

“Gee, thanks for the confidence boost,” I remarked sardonically.

She just smiled sweetly at me. “That’s what I’m here for.”

***

I spent the entire evening going back and forth with myself. Abby’s suggestion had some promise, but I worried that it could backfire horribly. It’d be a lot safer to just give Marnie some corn or tomatoes. Yet I kept thinking about the previous year, and the profoundly bored look on the Governor’s face when he tasted the soup. For some reason, I really wanted him to like it, even if it wasn’t solely mine.

I was still indecisive when I woke the morning of the Luau. I laid out all my options on the kitchen table and wasted about two hours just staring at them. I kept looking at the clock hands, which seemed to be going extra fast today, and watching my time dwindle down. Finally, I couldn’t delay any longer; I had to get over to the beach or it would be too late. No closer to a decision that I had been all week, I just shoved everything I had into a bag and raced out the door.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Marnie said when I came skidding onto the beach. “I was worried something had happened to you! Here quick, what have you brought.”

I opened my bag and hesitated. It would really be smart to just hand over something simple, like a few tomatoes. Better to bore the Governor than risk burning his tongue off.

A glint of purple off the sea distracted me. Glancing over toward the pier, I saw Abby sitting on the edge of the wooden boards, facing away from us. As always, she looked beautiful enough to set my heart racing.

Before I could lose my nerve, I reached into the bag and dug around until I found the little Gotoran pepper.

“Here you go,” I said, handing the pepper to Marnie.

She looked at it skeptically. “Is this enough? It’s a very large batch of soup you know.”

“Trust me,” I reassured her, “that’s all you need. It has a serious kick. In fact, you should probably wear gloves when you chop it.”

Now Marnie looked slightly alarmed, but she took the pepper all the same.

I’d arrived late, so most of the village was already present, milling around and chatting excitedly. The idea of talking with other people made me sick to my stomach, so I retreated to the pier. Abby looked up at me as I took a seat next to her, staring out over the ocean.

“Don’t feel like socializing today either?” she asked good naturedly.

“I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” I confessed. “I took your advice.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Really? I honestly thought you’d chicken out.”

“Almost did,” I admitted. “Maybe it’s not too late, should I see…?”

Abby reached over and squeezed my hand, which sent an entirely different set of nerves screaming. “It’ll be fine, just sit with me here ‘til it’s time to taste.”

I gulped, unable to think of anything now but the feeling of her slender fingers on the back of my hand. “Okay.”

She smiled and turned to gaze back at the ocean. The tides were relatively calm today, and we could easily spot the fish swirling around the pier.

“This is one of my favorite spots. Sometimes at night, you can see strange lights bobbing over the sea. It always makes me feel like I’m dreaming.”

“They’re beautiful,” I agreed, having witnessed the phenomenon several times. I kept meaning to ask the Wizard if he knew what caused them.

“You know, I usually hate summer,” she continued pensively. “But I’m actually really enjoying myself this year. Pelican Town’s just not feeling as drab as it used to. Funny how things change, isn’t it?”

“What’s different?” I asked, perhaps a bit more interested in the answer than I should have been.

A delicate blush creep onto Abby’s cheeks and she glanced at me quickly out of the corner of her eye. “Oh, just…seems a lot nicer here now is all.”

I didn’t press, but I couldn’t stop the sudden rush of excitement that ran through me. Again I worried I was reading into things too much. But then again, her hand was still on mine…

When it was time for the Governor to taste the soup, Abby dragged me reluctantly up to the gathered villagers. She was merciful enough to stop at the outer edges of the crowd and, more importantly, she didn’t let go of my hand.

The Governor was perhaps the fanciest person I had ever seen in my life, with his head-to-toe purple suit and matching hat. After over a year, I still didn’t know his name; everyone just called him the Governor.

With the kind of gravity that felt more appropriate for the unveiling of a children’s hospital, the Governor approached the soup pot. Marnie handed him a decorative spoon that might as well have been made of solid gold for how delicately she held it. He dipped the spoon into the large pot and leaned over to take a slight sip.

For an interminable moment, there was no sound to be heard except the waves in the ocean. I gripped Abby’s hand tightly, barely breathing as I waited for his reaction. The Governor smacked his lips ostentatiously, the way I’d seen chefs on TV do.

Then, his eyes went wide, and his bushy mustache actively started vibrating.

“Oh my,” he muttered.

My heart stopped in absolute terror. All I could think was that I’d probably killed the Governor. Any moment now, he would keel over, and I would have to make a run for it. What would I do, where could I go? Maybe the Wizard would be kind enough to turn me into a frog or something, so no one could find me.

However, to my utter astonishment, the Governor dipped the spoon back into the soup and took a far less delicate mouthful.

“It’s incredible!” he exclaimed loudly, causing a few people near him to jump back in surprise. “It’s the best soup I’ve ever tasted! It has such…” He waved the spoon around as he searched for the appropriate word. “Kick! You all must try this!”

The silence was broken as everyone clamored to grab a bowl and line up to be served. Because of where we’d been standing, Abigail and I were virtually last in line. I couldn’t help but stare in amazement as similar declarations of enjoyment soon filled the beach. Abby was actively giggling at my expression.

Once we’d gotten our soup, we retreated back to the pier. I was still scared to taste it, afraid that this was some kind of hallucination, and once I’d actually eaten some, I would vomit and come back to reality.

Abby showed no similar hesitation. As soon as we sat down, she immediately shoveled a few spoonfuls into her mouth.

“Oh my god!” she muttered, mouth still full and eyes rolling back into her head. “Oh my god, I was right. That makes all the difference!”

Tentatively, I brought the bowl up to my mouth and took a small sip. The first taste was subtle, almost floral. Probably a wild herb like tarragon that Linus had contributed. Then there was a bite of mushroom, a good one too that I figured Leah had found. Other flavors and textures followed; a delicate bit of fish, some kind of soft root vegetable, a little creaminess. It was just like Abby had described, and how I remembered last year’s soup: bland. Some of the individual components themselves might have been nice if there had been more, but in order to make it all work, Marnie couldn’t add too much of any one thing.

But after you tasted everything else, you started to feel the heat. It was mild at first, just a tingle on the back of the tongue. Then it grew into a warmth that spread until it filled your whole body. Yet somehow, it didn’t overwhelm the other flavors. On the contrary, it seemed to enhance all the ingredients, adding depth to the fish, spice to the other vegetables, heat to the broth.

It was, undeniably, one of the best things I’d ever tasted.

I was completely flabbergasted. The traveling saleswoman had warned me that these peppers were spicy to the point of painful. The only reason I’d bought the seeds to grow them was morbid curiosity. I’d taken a little bite out of the first one to bloom, just to see what it was like. I’d spent the rest of the day curled up in a corner of my bathroom, praying for death. Yet here, diluted into twenty gallons of soup, they added just the right level of heat to make the other ingredients sing.

“Alright,” I admitted to Abby, once I’d regained use of my voice. “That settles it. I’m never questioning you again. You tell me to do something, I’m not even hesitating.”

“Oh I am _so_ going to make you regret saying that,” Abby promised with a wicked grin. But no fear of future consequences could make a dent in my overwhelming sense of relief.

We finished eating and went back for seconds. And then thirds. With the help of the whole village, we managed to empty that enormous soup pot completely, something Lewis kept saying had never happened before.

Afterwards, most of the villagers hung around to chat and watch the sun set over the water. Abby and I, however, decided to duck out. Euphoria had given way to exhaustion for me, and Abby said she’d rather go home and play video games. I walked her back to the store, where we paused briefly in front of the door.

“Thank you!” I said again for perhaps the dozenth time. “Seriously that was all down to you.”

Impulsively, I leaned forward to hug her. She stiffened in shock at first, but her arms quickly came up to wrap around my waist. For a long moment, I just savored the feeling of her. When we broke apart, we were each too nervous to look the other in the eye.

“I guess I’ll, um, see you later then,” I said awkwardly, turning to leave.

“Wait,” Abby said suddenly. I spun back immediately. “I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything,” I promised without hesitation.

Abby took a deep breath and set her shoulders. “I want to go to the mines. We’ve been training, and I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

I was a little surprised by the sudden declaration, but I quickly rallied. “I agree. There’s honestly not much more I think I could teach you.”

She flashed a quick smile. “Thanks for saying that. So this is my favor. I was hoping you’d be willing to come with me. The way I figure, it’d be safer for both of us if we went together. What do you think?”

She looked at me nervously, as if it was a huge request. As if there was any chance I might refuse.

“Of course,” I replied. “I’d love to. When did you want to go?”

The expression of relief that spread across her face was probably similar to mine not that long ago.

“Maybe Saturday?” she suggested. “The store’s usually pretty busy, my parents won’t bug me too much. We could get there around ten?”

I grinned. “Sounds good. I’ll put together some supplies and meet you there.”

Now it was Abby’s turn to look grateful. “Thank you so much! You have no idea – just thank you. I’ll see you Saturday!”

With one last appreciative smile, Abby turned and disappeared into the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know technically peppers can't get you the best response, but come on, a blobfish would not taste good in that weird gray soup.
> 
> I'm sure you can all figure where this is going next. I can never draw out the will they/won't they phase.


	7. Take me to the lakes

On Saturday, I woke early as always. After a quick breakfast, I went outside and let the animals out, making sure they had plenty of water and hay. I gathered up the eggs that had been laid and decided the sheep could go another day before needing a trim. I watered the crops, pruning a few that were getting wild.

Then, I got ready for battle.

First were a pair of thick, tough pants. Second a long-sleeved shirt and jacket of similar material. Finally, heavy leather boots and matching gloves. The outfit would make the walk in the summer heat brutal, but this kind of protective clothing was a must when visiting the mines.

Once dressed, I opened up the weapons chest and considered my options. My grandfather’s sword was a given, as was the dagger I’d bought from Marlon a few months back. I also decided to take a few small bombs from my precious stash of explosives, just to be safe. I hesitated before grabbing one of my most valuable possessions, a magical totem that would teleport anyone holding it back to the farm. I’d been hesitant to use the item as I had neither the elements nor the skill necessary to replace it. However, given that I wasn’t just looking out for myself today, I wanted to be as safe as possible.

Lastly, I filled my pack with supplies; plenty of water, some small snacks, and an assortment of bread, cheese, and roasted hazelnuts. We might not be in the mines long enough to need all of that, but I’d learned to err on the side of caution.

After one last check to make sure I’d locked up the farm and secured the pasture gates, I set off for the mountain. It wasn’t a terribly long walk, but because of all my heavy clothing I was soon sweating profusely in the hot summer air. Luckily, the entrance to the mines were at the base, so I didn’t have too climb far to reach them. Along the way I saw Demetrius off near the river headwaters and waved a greeting.

Abby was waiting for me in the shade of a tree near the mines, fidgeting nervously. She was dressed similarly to me, in thick, protective layers with her short sword belted to her waist. She looked relieved when she caught sight of me.

“Okay, good I didn’t hallucinate our last conversation,” she said as soon as I was close enough to hear.

“Sorry, did I make you wait too long?” I asked, worried I’d gotten the time we were supposed to meet wrong.

Her eyes went wide. “No, no, you’re right on time. I just can’t believe I’m finally doing this. I’ve been dreaming about exploring the caves for _years_.”

I grinned. “Ready to go then?”

By way of response, Abby raced ahead of me to the cave’s entrance. I followed along a bit more sedately, weighed down as I was by a full backpack. By the time I caught up, Abby had paused a few steps into the mines, a look of awe on her face.

“I made it this far in once,” she told me, her voice soft, almost reverent. “I was six I think. We’d come up for a picnic, and I got away from my mom for a second. She caught me before I could really go inside, and ever since I’ve wanted to know what kinds of mysteries and secrets are in here.”

I reached over to take her hand. “Well, now you get to find out.”

We walked slowly into the darkness, letting our eyes adjust to the sudden gloom. The first little cave, what I’d come to think of as the antechamber, was the same as always. To one side was the broken down mine cart, to the other the narrow tunnel that would lead to the Dwarf’s little shop. And right in the middle was the hole that led into the mines proper. The ladder I’d made to replace the old, rotting one stuck out of the opening, bright maple standing out against the dark rock.

“This is how we get to the real fun parts of the mine,” I explained to Abby, crouching down and bringing out a lantern. “You always want to have a look before you head down, just to make sure nothing’s waiting for you.”

A look of anticipation spread over her face as she knelt next to me. The light from the lantern illuminated the base of the ladder. There was nothing dangerous looking, but I heard the faintest sound of air moving. I put a hand out to stop Abby, who had been getting ready to climb down the ladder.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

I shook my head, leaning closer to the opening. Whatever it was, it seemed to be getting closer, which was odd. Normally the only monsters this high in the mines were fairly tame. Certainly nothing that should have been able to make _that_ much noise. Unless…

“Get away!” I shouted.

Not waiting to see if she was going to react in time, I dropped the lantern, turned and grabbed her, dragging both of us towards a far corner of the cavern. We got there just as an enormous swarm of bats, more than I had ever seen in one place, started pouring out of the caverns. I pulled Abby down to the ground and hugged her close, doing my best to shield her from any potential attacks.

For a few terrifying minutes the bats circled the cave, the noise of their wings and shrieks practically deafening. Through it all, I continued to hold Abby against me, waiting in fear for the slice of teeth and claws. Luckily, the bats either didn’t see us or just ignored us.

After what felt like a small eternity, they finally spun out into the open air of the valley, leaving a ringing silence behind.

Cautiously, I raised my head to make sure they were all gone. My heart was beating like it was trying to escape my chest. I had _never_ seen that many bats in one place; they were surprisingly solitary most of the time. Nothing about it made sense…

I looked back at Abigail, still wrapped in my arms and only just starting to raise her head. Her eyes were wide, and she appeared as terrified as I felt.

“Well that sure was something,” she said shakily, leaning back to rest on her heels. “I guess I’m not as brave as I thought.”

“I was scared too,” I reassured her, pulling away slightly but keeping my hands on her shoulders. “I’ve never seen anything like that. Are you okay?”

“Yeah I just…” She glanced down. “I didn’t think I’d get that freaked out. I guess it’s normal…when you have something to lose.”

My heart continued to race, but not from fear anymore. Could she possibly mean what I thought? It felt like we’d been dancing around this for weeks now, both too afraid to say something we couldn’t take back.

“What are you worried about losing?” I asked softly.

She looked back up at me. “I…Well I…” Even in the dim light, her eyes were shining. “I really like you. And not just as a friend. You know that right?” There was an almost desperate need in her words that temporarily robbed me of speech.

She looked away again, gazing farther into the caves. “I can’t believe I’m actually saying this. But I can’t keep it in anymore. I’ve felt this way for a long time. And I know I’m springing this on you. You don’t have to say anything right now.”

I placed a hand on the side of her face and gently brought her back to look at me. Her eyes were filled with fear and hope and uncertainty and a million other jumbled emotions. How could I form the words to tell her that it had been the same for me, that I had longed for her without expectation for almost as long as I’d known her. How could I begin to explain how much she’d come to mean to me, how much I cared for her?

There were no words, none that I could think of that would do my feelings justice.

So I just bent down and pressed my lips lightly to hers.

Her eyes went wide for a moment, and then her arms came up around my neck and she kissed me back.

It was, perhaps, a strange place for a first kiss; kneeling in the dirt of a dark, possibly dangerous mine, both of us sweaty and breathless.

I couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment in my life.

***

We decided not to go further into the mines just yet. The enormous swarm of bats had been plenty exciting, and suddenly we had other things on our minds. So, we opted to take advantage of the sunshine, and a whole afternoon to ourselves. We ended up relaxing under the same tree where I had first come across Abigail playing her flute.

I sat propped against the base of the tree while Abby leaned her head against my chest. We’d removed some of the heavier layers of our outfits now that we were out of danger, and my hand idly traced patterns across the skin of her bare arm. It was the longest either of us had gone without saying something to each other, but there was no awkwardness or discomfort.

Well…not on Abby’s part at least.

As some of the initial euphoria began to dim slightly, a lot of inconvenient thoughts started demanding attention. I did my best to ignore them, but the lack of conversation left me with nothing _but_ my thoughts. I tried to focus on the simple enjoyment of holding Abby in my arms or the warm breeze on our skin, but those sensations started feeling strangely dulled.

Eventually, with a sigh, I realized they weren’t going to go away and I might as well deal with them now.

“We should probably talk about some things,” I said reluctantly.

“Hmm.” Abby hummed softly against me. “No, I don’t think we do.”

That wasn’t the response I’d been expecting. “Um, but you don’t even know what I was thinking about.”

“Sure I do,” she countered casually. “I told you I’ve been imagining this, imagining _us_ , for a long time. I had plenty of time to think about the stuff you’d get weird about.”

“Like what?” I challenged stubbornly. For some reason I was a little bugged that she thought she could predict me so easily.

“Like the difference in our ages, if you’re taking advantage of me, whether or not someone else would be better for me, how my parents will react, and how being with someone who has no plans to leave the valley will affect my future.” She rattled everything off quickly, matter of factly, as if they were of no concern. “How’d I do?”

“Not bad,” I grumbled, irritation turning to embarrassment. In fact, not only had she identified every one of my concerns, she’d even gotten the _order_ right. “And none of those things seem important to you?”

“Nope,” she said happily, snuggling against me. “I’m good.”

I was incredulous. “Come on, you’ve gotta at least give me the age thing?”

Abby sighed heavily and sat up, her expression reflecting the deepest reluctance. “I knew you wouldn’t just let it go. I don’t see what the big deal is. We’re only a few years apart. Demetrius is ten years older than Robin, you know?”

Actually, I hadn’t known that, and I made a mental note to find out what Demetrius’s skin care routine was, because he looked freaking _amazing_.

“Six years is a lot when you’re in your twenties,” I countered. “It’s college, jobs, relationships. I’m getting settled in my life, but you’re just starting.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re making it sound like you’re a senior citizen or something. You’re _twenty_ - _six_ for Yoba’s sake! The life expectancy in this town is ninety! You’re just as much of a baby as me when you look at the big picture.”

“It still creates disparities,” I insisted. “I’ve got a lot more experience, especially when it comes to…you know, certain things.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Are you talking about sex? Cuz if you can’t say the word, that doesn’t make you sound very mature.”

I sighed in frustration. This wasn’t going anything resembling the way I’d expected. “Alright, yeah, I am talking about sex. I have no idea if you’ve been with people before, but I remember being pretty clueless when I was twenty. I had friends who dated older people and it almost always ended badly. They felt pressured to do things they weren’t comfortable with to seem more mature. I don’t want to put you in that situation.”

Abby shrugged easily. “I’m not worried about that.”

I laughed incredulously. “How can you not be?”

“Because I trust you,” she said simply. “You’ve only ever been kind and caring with me, and I’ve got no reason to think that’ll change if we end up getting physical. And since you were so concerned, I’ll let you know right off the bat; yes, I’ve fooled around a little bit, but I’m still a virgin.”

I’d suspected as much from the very little she’d mentioned about her prior dating history, but hearing it confirmed made me, if anything, even more nervous.

Abby frowned at me. “Why are you fighting so much? I’m a big-boobed, goth _virgin_ who’s practically throwing herself at you. I know for a fact that ticks a bunch of boxes for a lot of guys. Do you prefer older blondes or something?”

I smiled reluctantly. “No, it works pretty well for me too. I just want to make sure I’m not being selfish and screwing up your life. You’ve told me yourself you feel trapped in the valley sometimes. I don’t want to be something else keeping you here. Sebastian and Sam want out too, wouldn’t they be better?”

Abby gave a full-throated belly laugh. “Sam? Really? That’s your great alternative? We’re friends, sure, but we have _nothing_ in common. I can’t even _imagine_ dating him.”

“What about Sebastian?” I asked pointedly.

For the first time, Abby looked the tiniest bit uncertain. “I know he’s interested,” she admitted. “We even talked about it a bit.”

“And?” I prompted.

“And Sebastian’s not ready for any kind of relationship,” she said, and there seemed to be the faintest hint of regret in her voice. “He’s depressed, and I mean clinically, not just moody. Thing is, he doesn’t want to _do_ anything about it; he refuses to get help. I’m not interested in being the _only_ good thing in his life, that’s way too much pressure.” Her expression brightened. “I like _you_. You get excited when you see me, but it’s not like I’m the only thing keeping you from jumping into the river. I feel _good_ whenever I’m with you. I don’t always feel good when I’m with Sebastian.”

I nodded my acceptance of her explanation. I couldn’t deny that I felt a bit of jealousy at learning that Abby had feelings of some kind for Sebastian. But any jealousy was overshadowed by the clear, uncomplicatedly happy way she talked about feeling around me.

“Also,” Abby leaned in close to me, “you’re way hotter than any of the other guys around her.” I felt my face flush deep red, and Abby giggled at my embarrassment.

“So? Are we good?” she asked. “Can we stop with whatever this weird insecurity is?”

I pretended to consider. “Well, we never got around to your parents…”

She punched me in the shoulder and I laughed.

“Seriously though,” I said soberly. “I don’t want to be the thing that keeps you here if you’d really rather be someplace else. I’ve seen that happen too, and let me tell you, decades of bitterness is not fun for anyone.”

“Look, I don’t know what my future is going to be,” Abby said. “I have no idea what I wanna do or _where_ I wanna do it. Yeah, I used to be really unhappy in the valley, but like I said, things change. What I _do_ know, right _now_ , is that I really like you. It’d be stupid to give that up just because of what things _might_ look like in the future, don’t you think?”

I nodded again, some of the turmoil finally dissipating.

“See, like I said, we’ve got nothing to worry about. Except,” she looked at me sternly, “now you owe me a _lot_ of kisses to make up for wasting so much of our afternoon.”

I smiled. “I think I can pay up.”


	8. Raining Purple Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long between updates. I'll try to have the next one up sooner.
> 
> Narrator: He would probably not have the next update sooner.

One morning, a couple weeks after Abby and I began officially dating, I was eating breakfast and contemplating some items I wanted to commission from Robin when there was a knock on my door. My first thought was that it was Abby, but then I remembered that she was definitely _not_ a morning person. I’d found that out recently when I suggested an early morning walk through the forest. The fog and quiet made it feel magical, and I’d been so excited that she’d evidently been too nervous to turn me down. However, after a few hours spent with a sleep deprived, thoroughly irritable girlfriend, I’d learned to schedule outings later in the day.

Probably Marnie then, come to chat about the livestock. Or Evelyn with a loaf of bread, convinced as usual that I wasn’t getting enough to eat. But it wasn’t either of them. Nor was it Robin or Lewis or any of the other folks who sometimes trekked out to see me.

It was Pierre, shifting nervously from foot to foot and looking around at the porch like he expected a monster to leap out from behind the wood pile.

My first, gut instinct, was to slam the door closed and jump out the window. So far, Pierre hadn’t treated me any different, but to be fair I wasn’t giving him much of a chance. I was still bringing in my deliveries during busy periods so he couldn’t spare more than a couple words, and Abby mostly came to the farm instead of the other way around.

Now I was getting my comeuppance. I couldn’t imagine any other reason why he’d be standing at my doorstep in the early hours of the morning. Undoubtedly, he was here to tell me that he disapproved of my relationship with his daughter and to stay away from her.

Well, I’d known I’d have to deal with Pierre at some point, regardless of what Abigail thought. I’d hoped she might be with me when the inevitable confrontation came, but I was an adult, I could deal with conflict.

Right…?

“Hey Pierre,” I said with what I hoped was an authentic looking smile. “What brings you out here so early?”

The shopkeeper continued to look nervous. “I had a favor to ask.”

My stomach swooped, but I did my best to look casual. “Sure thing. Wanna come in, have a cup of coffee?”

He shook his head, which caused me profound relief. This would be awkward enough as it was. “No it’s not that complicated. I was hoping, well, um, that is I know you go to the mines a lot, right?”

“Yeah, now and again,” I replied, wondering where this was going. Had he found out Abby and I had gone in together? Unlikely, then it would be Caroline on my doorstep, scolding me for putting her daughter in danger.

“That’s what I thought. Well, here’s the thing, I was kind of hoping you could try to find me something down there, you know when you go?”

I frowned in surprise, starting to suspect that, unlikely as it seemed, this visit was _not_ about telling me off. “Well, it depends a bit. What did you want me to look for?”

He continued to studiously avoid looking at me. “Um, a piece of amethyst. It’s Abigail’s favorite, and her birthday’s coming up.”

“Oh.” For a second my mind went blank. Then I said the first thing I thought of. “But that’s more than a month away?”

Pierre shrugged. “I figured it might take a while, and I wanted to give you plenty of time. I’ll pay well, but it’s okay if you’re not able to. Be safe, you know.”

“I’ll, um, I’ll do my best,” I promised automatically.

“Oh great, thanks.” A relieved smile spread over Pierre’s face. “I really appreciate it. Well, you know where to find me.”

Pierre turned and set off back for town, leaving me standing on the porch, looking after him with my mouth open.

***

As it turned out, I had a fairly easy time finding a piece of amethyst. There was one sitting in the chest next to my bed at that very moment. A particularly fine piece that I’d come across in the mines months ago. Abigail’s love of the purple gemstones was legendary around town; she had a whole shelf in her bedroom filled with them. I’d been saving it for a special occasion. Like, say, Abby’s birthday…

Now I had a dilemma. I could give Pierre the amethyst I had and do my best to find another in the next month. That was a long shot though, the upper levels of the mines were mostly tapped dry by years of digging. And the lower levels…well there was a reason I didn’t go too deep.

Even if I did manage to find some more amethyst, it didn’t necessarily solve my problem. While I was sure Abby would love getting _two_ pieces, I felt like I’d be competing with her dad. That was definitely _not_ a situation I wanted to get into. After all, he’d come to me asking for help when I’d been fully expecting nothing but angry threats. Surely staying in his good graces was more than worth a little bit of rock? It wasn’t like I could tell him I couldn’t find any and then turn around and give one to his daughter after all.

I spent a couple days feebly resisting the inevitability of my logic before caving. I’d just have to figure out something else to get my new girlfriend. No pressure…

I knew Pierre sometimes went to the saloon on Fridays after work to relax. Abby also tended to frequent the pub on weekends, usually with Sam and Sebastian. At Abby’s insistence, I’d started to join them. She said I needed to stop being such a hermit.

So I figured I could just hand off the amethyst to Pierre and have a perfect excuse not to linger. Friday evening, I strode into the saloon, which was already bustling with what felt like the whole village. I quickly spotted Pierre at the end of the bar, nursing a pint. I slid onto a seat next to him, and Emily immediately approached us.

“Hey there!” she greeted me brightly. “You want the usual?”

“Sure, thanks Emily.”

“Anything else, Pierre?”

The shopkeeper shook his head.

She poured me a glass of wine and went to serve Elliot. Pierre looked over at me blearily, and I realized this must not have been his first beer of the evening. That was a bit surprising, given that he didn’t tend to be much of a drinker. Besides a celebratory glass once in a while, he was rarely at the pub. Tonight though, he bore a strong resemblance to Pam.

“I got that amethyst for you,” I told him, trying to sound cheery. I placed the stone on the bar in front of him.

It took him a minute to focus his eyes enough to recognize the gem. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “I don’t have a lot on me right now…”

I waved that away. “Don’t worry about it. Call it a ‘frequent customer reward.’”

The joke didn’t seem to register with Pierre. He picked up the amethyst and turned it over in his fingers, staring at it so intently that I wondered if he was trying to read the future in its crystalline depths. I sat there for a moment, wondering if I should say something else, but Pierre just continued studying the amethyst.

“Well…” I took my glass and started to rise awkwardly.

“Amethyst is Abby’s favorite,” Pierre repeated, his words slurred. “Ever since she was little. Every birthday we’d ask what she wanted, and she _always_ said amethyst.”

I eased back onto the stool feeling somehow even more awkward than when he _hadn’t_ been speaking. “Well, it’s very pretty,” I offered.

“We stopped getting it for her.” Again, it seemed like Pierre was speaking more to himself than me. “About five years ago. When she first started dying her hair purple. It mattered at the time, for some reason. I think we hoped she’d get more normal. She never did…”

I felt completely out of my depth. “Everyone’s a _little_ weird, aren’t they? I mean, hey, Caroline’s got green hair, right?”

Pierre’s forehead creased ever so slightly, but he didn’t answer.

I tried to make another move to stand up. “So, anyway, I guess I’ll see you later…?”

“She’s not mine, you know.” Pierre’s voice was so quiet I almost didn’t hear him.

Slowly, I sank back onto the stool again. “What do you mean?”

“Abigail.” He nodded minutely towards the corner, where Abby was watching Sam and Sebastian play pool. “She’s not really my daughter. I don’t think she is, at least.”

For a man who was usually pretty predictable, Pierre was certainly dropping a lot of surprises on me lately.

“Why do you think that?” I asked cautiously.

“Timing doesn’t work.” His expression was morose, but he seemed a bit more lucid than he had a moment ago. “Caroline got pregnant a few months after we moved here. Things were busy; I was trying to get the store running. Long hours. We weren’t together a lot.”

My head was spinning. Way too much information coming in way too fast. “That’s still not – I mean you don’t _know_ know, right?”

He gave a mirthless huff of laughter. “Doesn’t take a genius. We don’t even look alike.”

I glanced over at Abby again. He had a point there. Pierre was tall and thin, with sun bronzed skinned, while Abby was short and curvy, with pale skin that never darkened, no matter how much time she spent in the sun.

“That still doesn’t mean you’re not her dad,” I argued, not sure if I believed it at this point. “Kids look different than their parents all the time. My dad’s like a foot smaller than me.” I left out that we were otherwise almost identical.

“No, I know it.” Pierre sighed heavily and took another drink. “It’s just something you know, you know?”

I struggled with what to say. In the time I’d known him, I’d seen Pierre irritated, angry, frustrated and everything in between. But I’d never seen him depressed like this. Even at his most unhappy, he’d always had a vivaciousness, an energy and intensity that seemed like it could never be dimmed. Almost like…

I turned to face him fully. “Look, maybe you’re not her biological dad, but _you’re_ the one who raised her. _You’re_ the one who changed her diapers, who took care of her when she was sick, grounded her when she broke the rules. _You_ taught her how to drive, how to tell right from wrong, how to stand up for herself. And _you’re_ the one she calls ‘Dad.’ That’s way more important than whether or not she’s got your DNA.”

By the time I finished talking, Pierre was looking…not cheerful exactly, but a tiny bit less depressed. As if some of that spark of vitality had found its way back to him.

I gave him an encouraging smile and clapped him on the back as I stood. Abby looked at me curiously when I dropped onto the sofa next to her.

“What were you and my dad talking about?” she asked, almost suspiciously.

“It’s a secret,” I said immediately. I was still processing everything Pierre had told me, and I wasn’t about to drop it all on Abby just yet. If ever. “Guy stuff.”

Abby accepted that with an easy grin. “See, told you he liked you!”

I still wasn’t totally sure about that, but at least now I knew Pierre had a lot more he was worried about than me.


	9. Hand in the Flame (NSFW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I lied, it took longer than two weeks to get another update. Is anyone really surprised? On the plus side though (hopefully), I have a slightly longer chapter for you all today. Plus smut! Like most of my stories, this fic was originally meant to be a thinly veiled excuse to write something depraved and pornographic. As always, I got distracted by silly little things like plot, but no longer! Going forward, I plan to undermine my storytelling with gratuitous sex. Enjoy, if that's your kind of thing. If it's not, well, don't say I didn't warn you.

“Hey, um, can I ask an awkward question?”

Abby and I were enjoying the latest addition to my property. I’d cleared out a bit of space in front of my house and put in a fire pit, ringed by a few chairs and benches I’d commissioned from Robin. Despite there being plenty of space on the bench for both of us to spread out, Abby was sitting on my lap, head curled into my shoulder. Up to that point, we’d just been basking in the heat from the fire and each other’s company.

“Yes, I do have kids,” I quipped. “Four of them. But don’t worry, I faked my death so I don’t have to pay child support.”

Abby giggled. “That’s good to know. I always wanted a sugar daddy.”

“Oh yeah, that’s why I got into farming. So I’d make tons of money and get all the ladies.” We both shared another laugh. “Honestly, though, you can ask me anything.”

I could hear the smile in Abby’s voice. “Okay now I feel really weird, but I was wondering how many people you’ve, you know, _been_ with?”

“Oh.” Evidently we’d gotten to _that_ point of the relationship. I sobered quickly, not knowing how this conversation was going to go. “Well, if we’re only counting the biblical sense of being with someone, then just two.”

Abby tilted her head up to look at me, her expression surprised. “Only two? I thought it would’ve been more.”

I did my best to shrug given our current position. “I’m not really into casual relationships. Had one girlfriend for the last couple years of high school, another for the last couple years of college.”

“What happened?” Abby’s tone was carefully neutral.

I thought carefully about my response. “Things worked at the time. Until they didn’t. It turns out high school relationships don’t translate well into college, and college relationships don’t translate well into real life. Both times the relationship broke down right after graduating.”

“It’s a good thing I quit college before we started dating then,” she remarked with a hint of smile.

I gave a low chuckle although I had my own fears about the effect that time would have _our_ relationship. “Any reason you were curious?”

She looked down. “Well, like I told you, I haven’t really done that much. One guy in high school I fooled around with a little. I wanted to know how much I’m lagging, experience-wise.”

“Oh.” I paused. “You don’t really need to worry about that. Second girlfriend had been with a lot more people than me. I was nervous at first, but it just means the person you’re with can help you try out new things safely.”

Abby gave me what I’d come to call “The Look,” the one that meant I had said something stupid. “Oddly, I’m not that interested in hearing what your ex was like in bed.”

“Sorry.” And then, as if I liked the hole I was in and wanted to dig a little deeper, I added, “I mean, you asked.”

The Look escalated dramatically to alarming heights I hadn’t seen before. “I’m gonna give you a second to decide if you _really_ want that to be your response.”

“Sorry,” I repeated with a wince. “Would you believe me if I said you’re so beautiful I have trouble thinking when I’m looking at you?”

Abby’s expression softened towards a smile. “Depends on what you’re willing to do to prove it.”

I knew what that meant, and I leaned down to kiss her. Her fingers tangled up in the back of my hair, pulling my mouth against her. The novelty of kissing Abigail had not even begun to wear off. The taste of her lips was unlike anything I’d ever encountered, presumably because of her unique diet. It reminded me almost of lemon, but cleaner somehow.

Abby gave a soft sigh when I pulled away, a tiny noise that set my heart racing. Her eyes sparkled when she opened them to look up at me. “Okay, you’re forgiven. Just read the mood a little, yeah? You’ve got this cozy fire going, your girlfriend in your lap…why don’t we _not_ talk about other girls.”

I grinned self-consciously. “I think I can manage that. Anything else I can do to make it up to you?”

“Wellll, funny you should ask.” Abby slid off my lap and sat on the bench with her legs folded underneath her. “I was kind of hoping we could have the talk.”

I turned to face her. “Uh oh, is courtship only five weeks in this town? Should I have gotten a ring?”

She slapped me on the arm. “Stop it, I’m trying to be serious here.” But she was fighting a smile as she admonished me.

“I know you are,” I said, reaching over to brush her cheek with the back of my hand. “And I imagine you’re feeling pretty nervous bringing this up; I’m just trying to help you relax. You’re thinking about getting more serious?”

She nodded and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I am. I don’t know if I’m ready to have sex yet, but, um…” She looked down, cheeks turning red in the firelight.

“It’s alright,” I tried to reassure her. I was honestly surprised it had taken her this long to broach the subject. “You know I’m not expecting anything, right? I don’t know what your high school boyfriend was like, but I’m fine waiting. Or keeping sex out of the relationship completely, if you’d rather.”

This was something I’d thought long and hard about. No doubt she was worried that I wanted our relationship to be more physical than it currently was. Why else would she ask about previous partners? And while I was incredibly, _deeply_ attracted to Abigail, if there was any place where the disparity in our ages might show up, it was here. I couldn’t be the one who initiated anything physical, because as strong willed as Abby was, I knew exactly how much pressure an older boyfriend could put on a young woman. It was absolutely critical that she knew I was happy with the relationship just as it was, so she could feel safe taking things at her pace.

However, as was often the case with Abby, I assumed wrongly.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” she said, continued to avoid my gaze. “I don’t want to go _all_ the way yet, but I’m ready to go at least _some_ of the way.”

I blinked in surprise. “What do you mean, ‘some of the way?’”

“Like, um, well here.” She fumbled around in the pocket of her jeans before handing me a folded-up piece of paper. “I thought maybe it’d be easier to write it down. That’s a list of all the stuff I’d like to try at the moment.”

Intrigued, I unfolded the sheet of paper. As I scanned the list, I could feel my eyes growing wider and wider. Before I was even halfway done, I had to look up in astonishment at Abby. Her face was scrunched up nervously, clearly fearing my reaction.

“I know you’re probably used to doing more than that,” she rushed to say, “and maybe at some point we can add more, but right now that’s what I’m comfortable with.”

I gave a choked laugh and alternated staring at the list and my unpredictable girlfriend. “Abby, there’s some stuff on this list I’ve never even _heard_ of, let alone tried. You’re sure, _absolutely_ _sure_ , that you’re okay with us doing any of these things?”

She nodded, still clearly worried. “I mean, _I’ve_ never tried a bunch of the stuff on there either, so I don’t really know if I’ll like them yet or not, but I’ve heard other girls talk or seen videos and it all sounded like fun. If we try something and it turns out I don’t enjoy it, are you okay taking it off the list?”

“You’re talking like _I’m_ comfortable with everything on here,” I remarked, still dumbstruck.

Abby’s expression was shifting from apprehensive to confused and slightly suspicious. “Hold on, so you’re serious? You mean you really haven’t done all of that and a bunch of other things besides?”

I laughed incredulously again. “Abby, I’ve never met a couple who would admit to doing that.” I turned the page over and pointed out an item to her. “Yoba have mercy on me, I’m not like a depraved pervert or anything, but I didn’t think I was _this_ vanilla. I can’t even _imagine_ what kinds of sites you were on to find some of this.”

Some of the tension finally seemed to leave Abby’s posture and she smiled. “Let’s just say I had to basically scrub my hard drive clean. If my parents ever found my search history, they’d probably ship me off to a convent.”

“The joke would be on them, I’m pretty sure a couple of these would benefit from access to a priest’s robe and a confessional.”

She laughed with me. “So you’re really alright with those being the boundaries for the moment?”

I snorted. “That’s like sticking a fish in an ocean and asking if he’s okay that he doesn’t get to go to the lakes just yet. Yeah, I’m alright with it. I’m also curious which of these _you’ve_ already done?”

Abby’s blush returned. “Not a lot actually. Mostly just…” she sidled up to me so we could look at the list together. She pointed at a couple entries “That, that, and just a little bit of that.”

My eyes widened slightly. “Really? Then how do you know you’ll be okay with things like this?” I pointed out a rather scandalous option.

“Well I don’t know for _sure_ obviously, but like I've said, I’ve watched videos and it looked kind of hot. And how am I going to know if I don’t at least try?”

“Girls seem to have plenty of ideas about that one,” I blurted out before I could think better of it.

Now it was Abby’s turn to arch a mischievous eyebrow at me. “Oh yeah? You mean you’ve asked a girl to do that before and she shot you down?”

“Hey I thought we weren’t talking about past girlfriends,” I protested.

“That was before I found out I’m willing to do something they wouldn’t.” She shifted closer to me, her lips spreading into an almost cocky grin. “Would you like that? Have you been fantasizing about doing that to me?”

I gulped, my throat suddenly dry. “Maybe.”

“For how long?” she asked innocently. “When did you start imagining doing something so filthy to me?”

Abby’s beautiful green eyes stared into mine, making me feel like I was hypnotized. It was like I had no option but to answer, despite how embarrassing this whole thing was.

“Since last summer,” I admitted hoarsely. “You invited me to go swimming with you and the guys. It was the first time I’d seen you in a bathing suit. Your top kind of, um, slipped once or twice.”

“Oh you’re terrible!” Abby exclaimed with a mock glare. “Peeking at your barely legal friend at the beach. Tell me something.” Her voice dropped into a low register that shot straight to my spine like a bolt of lightning. “Did you make yourself come thinking about me? About what you saw?”

The intensity of her gaze was extraordinary. “Yes. A lot.”

“You’re so bad!” But her expression was triumphant. “Would you like to see more?”

“More?” Had I heard that right?

“Well, you said you only caught a glimpse or two.” Her smile as downright malicious. “Do you want a bit more than a glimpse.”

“Yes,” I replied immediately.

“How much do you want it?” she teased.

“More than anything I’ve ever wanted,” I said as fervently as possible.

“Then ask me.”

I frowned. “Wait, ask? Ask what?”

Her fingers were toying with the hem of her shirt. “If you want to see more of me, you need to ask me nicely.”

My god, this woman! “Abby, may I please see more of you?”

“What do you want to see more of?” Her tone was devilishly innocent, but she’d inched her shirt up, revealing the barest hint of skin.

“Wow, you’re really going to make me say it?” She just kept grinning and I sighed. “Fine. Abby, may I please see your tits?”

“Of course,” she replied easily. “All you had to do was ask.”

Slowly, inch by inch, she drew the shirt up and up, exposing more and more of her creamy, pale body. She paused playfully beneath her breasts before sliding the shirt up to show off a lacy purple bra. Finally, she pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it carelessly behind her.

All I could think was, “Wow.” Abby didn’t make much effort to hide her figure like, say, Penny or Leah. I’d always known she was pretty busty, and she wore plenty of outfits that showed off a bit of cleavage, but this was a whole new level.

Abby giggled. “Oh come on, this is nothing. My bathing suit shows off more than this.”

“Still, it just feels different,” I said, unable to take my eyes of her chest.

“What is it with guys and bras,” she said with a smirk. “I’m guessing you wanna know my cup size?”

Yes I certainly did, but I was hesitant to admit that openly. “Maybe.”

Abby just rolled her eyes, but she appeared pleased at the effect she was having on me. “It’s just two numbers and a letter, but you guys seem to think it’s the secret code to the universe. Depending on where I shop, I’m a thirty-six double D. Happy?”

I nodded like I was a bobble head. “Very. Although like you said, this is still more covered than your bathing suit. Can I please see you without the bra?”

The grin was back. “Well aren’t you greedy. But since you asked so nicely…”

She reached behind her and unsnapped the clasp of the bra, which immediately dropped under the weight of her breasts. Once again moving at something resembling the pace of cold molasses, she slipped the straps down her shoulders. As if to torture me, she held the cups in place for several of the longest seconds of my life before mercifully letting the bra drop to her lap.

“Holy shit,” I muttered involuntarily. Abby topless was a vision. Her breasts somehow looked even larger without the bra. Her nipples were a beautiful shade of pale pink, and even though it was a warm night, they stood out stiff. If I’d ever seen anything more beautiful, I couldn’t remember it at this moment.

“You like ‘em?” she asked, some of her bravado slipping. “My ex said they were kinda saggy.”

“Fuck him,” I responded immediately. Sure, Abby’s breasts sagged slightly, but not as much as I would have expected, given their size. “You look incredible.”

She smiled, blushing again. “You’re allowed to touch too, you know? I like having my nipples played with.”

Well who was I to miss such an opportunity? I moved quickly in my eagerness, causing Abby to giggle again, but I was too excited to care. Her laughter quickly turned to a gasp as I cupped her breasts. I have fairly large hands, but they barely covered her chest. Mindful of the fact that a year and a half of daily farm work had roughened my skin considerably, I did my best to be gentle at first.

“I totally forgot what it was like to have someone else touch me,” Abby murmured, almost too softly for me to hear. Her eyes had fluttered closed and she was gnawing gently on her lower lip.

I took my time, appreciating the infinitely soft feel of her skin and the little noises she made when I brushed her nipples with my thumbs. But her list had also included several other things she wanted done to her breasts, and I was determined to show her that I was paying _extremely_ close attention.

Leaning forward, I captured the tip of her breast lightly between my teeth. It wasn’t the kind of move I would have tried the first time getting intimate with another girl, but based on the noise Abby made, she wasn’t objecting. I tugged just enough to elicit another mind numbingly sexy squeal before letting go.

“I have something to ask you too,” I told her as I work my way languidly up her chest and toward the hollow at her neck. My free hand continued idly playing with her other breast. She seemed to particularly enjoy being pinched, which still surprised me, even though it was also on the list.

Abby didn’t seem to realize I’d said anything until I reached the spot where her neck and shoulder met. “Uh, yeah, what’s _uupp_?!” The last word was more yelp as my teeth grazed the delicate skin under her jaw.

I placed my lips right next to her ear, our cheeks pressed together. “Have _you_ made yourself come thinking about _me_?”

Her whole body shivered, and I was exquisitely aware of every little tremor. “Yes.”

“When?” I asked in between nipping at her earlobe.

My hand tightened on her breast and she whimpered. “All the time.”

Those three little words, practically torn from her mouth, went straight to the most primitive parts of my ego. They sent my heart racing with excitement, and I had to know more.

“For how long?” I’d moved back to her neck.

“Since you played the harp with me in the woods,” she admitted, leaning into my touch. “You played so well. I kept wondering what your fingers would feel like inside me.”

I honestly hadn’t been expecting that answer, but I rolled with it. For the first time since I’d started teasing her, I brought my mouth to hers, planting the lightest kiss on her lips. Her eyes flickered open to stare wildly at me.

“Would you like to find out?” I asked.

“God yes!” she breathed.

Without warning, I slipped an arm under her legs and stood, lifting her straight off the bench and causing her to squeal in surprise.

“I would have been fine with the bench,” she said breathlessly as I carried her up the steps to my house. “The fire was romantic.”

“Maybe some other time.” I nudged open the door with my foot. “A couple’s first time together should be somewhere comfortable. Like a bed.”

Abby curled her head against my chest. “See, that’s why I’m happy you’re older than me. Me ex’s idea of somewhere comfortable was the back of his broken-down car in a Joja Mart parking lot.”

“I’ll plead the fifth when it comes to the backseats of cars,” I joked as we entered the bedroom. “But I’ve learned a few things over the years.”

Despite the extraordinary state of disrepair my grandfather’s old home had been in when I first moved in, I knew exactly what needed to be addressed first. I’d replaced the threadbare, rickety old twin bed with the most comfortable queen mattress I could afford. The silk sheets I gently lowered Abigail onto had come straight from the Gotoro Empire, via the traveling saleswoman.

The moment she was down, Abby started to eagerly unbutton her jeans until I swatted away her hands.

“Have a little patience,” I scolded her. “This isn’t a rush to the finish line, we’re going to savor the moment.”

“Easy for you to say,” Abby griped. “I've been going crazy all week. I burnt out my favorite vibrator thinking about this moment.”

“Well now I know what to get you for your birthday,” I joked, earning myself another little slap. I hardly noticed though, for I was busy playing with the fastenings of her pants. Unlike Abby’s previous, frantic attempts to strip herself, I took my time. Her double buttoned, high waisted shorts slid slowly down her stomach. When they reached the waistband of her black tights, those came down too, revealing a set of purple panties as lacy as her now discarded bra.

“Were you planning this tonight?” I asked, pausing to tease around the edges of her underwear.

She blushed fiercely. “Maybe a little.”

“Hmm, shame I didn’t get to see the full effect.”

“I’ll model it for you later,” she promised. “Now will you please take off my clothes!”

I chuckled and obliged her, pulling her shorts and tights down her legs at a less sedate pace. Once they were gone, however, I resumed leisurely kissing my way back up her bod, trailing my lips against her legs and the insides of her thighs. However, she stopped me when I placed a kiss on her damp underwear.

“Maybe we can do that another time? Tonight could you just use your hands?” She looked afraid of my reaction.

“Of course,” I said with a smile. “Are you okay with me taking them off?”

Her face turned an even darker shade of crimson, but she nodded and lifted her hips as I tugged off her underwear. I’d been rather hoping to discover her natural hair color by seeing her unclothed, but apparently she preferred to keep her body completely bare. Not that I was complaining.

I took a moment to fully appreciate seeing Abby fully naked for the first time. My eyes drank in every inch, from her violet hair, to her flushed cheeks, down the delicate lines of her collarbone to the swell of her breasts, across the soft, round expanse of her belly and to the provocative flair of her hips.

“You are absolutely perfect,” I said breathlessly.

She smiled nervously and held her arms out for me. “Come here. You’re too far away.”

I fully agreed and immediately crawled onto the bed next to her. She immediately leaned in for a passionate kiss that I returned twofold. My patience was quickly running out and my hands practically flew across her now bare skin. She moaned softly into my mouth when I squeezed her ass.

“Please touch me!” she practically begged and I was only too happy to oblige.

We shifted a little so that Abby was on her back as I leaned next to her. She eagerly opened her legs as I slid a hand down her belly.

“Tell me what you like,” I said in between kisses.

Abby’s breathing was coming in quick bursts. “Okay, um, you can rub me a bit, but my clit’s not really that sensitive. It’s better if you, you know, put your fingers in me.”

“Will that be alright? My hands are kind of rough.”

“Oh no, it’ll be amazing,” she said quickly. “I like, um, textured toys.”

I arched an eyebrow and she reluctantly elaborated. “I…well I knew you probably had callouses, and I wanted to know what that’d feel like. So I found some a toy with a bit more, you know, texture. It was the best orgasm I’ve ever had.”

“Well now I’m not sure I’ll be able to measure up,” I said teasingly, drawing light circles just above the juncture of her thighs.

She groaned in frustration, now actively trying to push my hand lower. “You’ve got me so worked up I’d get off grinding a splintered piece of wood. Just fucking touch me already!”

I chuckled. “Yes ma’am.”

Per her instructions, I first slid a finger along the outside of her pussy, keeping my touch light. Even still, she let out a gasp and buried her head in the crook of my neck. I circled her clit lazily a few times before dipping my hand farther. She was already quite wet from all my teasing, but I still took it very slowly as I worked a finger into her opening. Her references to regular toy usage made me wonder if she would be a little more accustomed to penetration, but she was still remarkably tight. Even as wet as she was, it was difficult at first to move a single finger in and out. All I could think of, in my lust addled state, was how amazing it would feel to sink my cock into such incredible tightness.

“Curl it just a bit,” Abby requested, speaking into my shoulder.

“Like this?” I tried my best to feel for her g-spot. Despite my bravado, I didn’t have a ton of experience with this kind of stimulation.

“Little higher,” she said and then gasped. “Right there, right there! Keep going!”

Unlike one of my ex-girlfriends, Abby’s reactions were quite easy to read. Her hips started bucking up to meet my hand, and she was clutching my arm tightly. I did my best to keep a constant pace. Once we’d been with each other longer, I might play around with drawing out her orgasm, building up and cooling down until she couldn’t take anymore. Right now, however, I was focused on giving her exactly what she wanted.

“Add another finger,” she said, her voice barely more than a whimper.

“Are you sure?” I asked. I wasn’t totally confident I could manage that with how tight she was.

She nodded against me. “I can take it. Please?”

I was a bit hesitant, but it was best to trust the lady. I slowed down my rhythm as I struggled to add another digit to the mix. It didn’t seem possible, but I managed to squeeze a second finger into Abby’s slick, tiny cunt.

Before long we were moving again, and this time Abby’s responses became even more pronounced. I timed myself with the thrusting of her hips, which only seemed to draw even more pleasure from her. Her soft sighs had transformed into moans of excitement, despite her attempts to muffle them in my shoulder.

“Harder!” she muttered at one point, and I was well past questioning her. The sound of my fingers curling into her was audible even above the increasing volume of her moans.

When she came, it was glorious. Her whole body stilled for one, interminable moment. Then she cried out in ecstasy and her pussy clamped down almost painfully on my fingers. I watched her rapturously as her orgasm shook her with wave after wave of pleasure. Only once she collapsed bonelessly back onto the bed did I gingerly remove my hand.

For a moment, I just listened to the sound of her ragged breathing, as glowing a compliment as I’d ever received.

“How was it?” I asked gently, kissing the side of her face.

She tilted her head up and gave me a wide, lazy smile. “Even better than I imagined. And I’ve got a _vivid_ imagination.”

I smiled back at her. “Good to hear. Do you need anything? Glass of water, something to eat?”

“What I need…” She propped herself up on an arm. “is to get even with my incredible boyfriend.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I tried to reassure her. Yeah, I was so hard I felt like I might explode, but I could take care of myself later. It wasn't like I'd be lacking for things to think about.

Abby wasn’t having any of that though. “Uh uh. I’m not the only one having an orgasm tonight. Stand up!”

My feeble protests died quickly, and I did as Abby said, getting to my feet. She sat up on the edge of the bed and gave me a look that could only be described as predatory.

“You’re very bad,” she purred, quickly regaining her composure. “How come _I’m_ the only one naked here?”

“Because you’re far more interesting to look at,” I replied immediately.

“I disagree.” Abby slipped her hands under the hem of my shirt and dragged her nails lightly across my stomach, making me shiver. “In fact, I think I’d _really_ like to see what you’ve been hiding under all these baggy farmer clothes.”

Unlike me, Abby didn’t waste any time getting my clothes off. Standing, she roughly yanked my shirt over my head before her hands resumed their exploration of my body.

“Mmm, farming’s been good to you,” she said, tracing the muscles on my arms. “Even _Alex_ isn’t this ripped.”

Now it was my turn to turn red in embarrassment.

“I bet you even Queen Snob Haley wouldn’t mind getting to see you like this,” Abby went on. “Too bad though, cuz you’re all _mine_!”

She went to work on my pants, again showing no interest in the slow strip I’d performed on her. In only a few seconds, she had my pants and underwear bunched around my ankles.

“Nice,” she said, eyeing my hard cock. She sat back on the bed, almost at eye level with my groin. Then, in a moment that would be burned on my memory forever, she reached out a dainty hand and wrapped her fingers around me.

I sucked in a breath in surprise and excitement as she gave me a few slow strokes from base to tip.

“How big are you?” she asked, looking up at me.

The sight of her stroking my cock casually made it difficult to respond at first. “I’m not really sure.”

She arched an eyebrow at me. “Don’t give me that, all guys measure themselves. How big are you?”

I groaned, unable to do anything but answer truthfully. “Seven and a half long, six around.”

Abby raised her eyebrows theatrically. “Oh my, so big! How are we ever going to fit all of this in my tiny little pussy?” She punctuated her sentence by leaning forward and placing my cock directly alongside her face. The contrast of her faux innocent eyes looking up from beside my length sent my heart skipping into overdrive.

“So tell me, what would you like me to do with this big, hard cock of yours?” she asked, still not taking her eyes off me.

I struggled to find some measure of composure. “Whatever you want, whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Nah uh.” She wagged a reproving finger at me. “You have the list of what I’m comfortable with. Time for you to pick. What’s the first thing you want to do with your girlfriend?”

All the incredible, filthy things she’d written down flashed across my eyes, sending me into an indecisive spiral. How could I possibly choose from so many amazing options? While I struggled to decide, Abby continued to stroke me unhurriedly, further disrupting my thoughts. Then I noticed that her free hand was idly fondling her breasts.

“Um, well…” I hesitated, still struggling to accept that the list had been real.

“Yes?” Abby prompted.

“I’ve, uh, never fucked a girl’s tits before.” I muttered.

“Your exes’ boobs weren’t big enough, huh?” she gloated. “Lucky for you, I just happen to have a pair of double Ds that I’d be happy to wrap around your cock.”

I forced back a mixture of excitement and fear. “So, uh, how should we do this.”

Abby glanced down at her chest casually. “This seems like it’ll work. Come here.”

She pulled me forward to stand with my legs on either side of hers. That put my cock at the perfect position to fit between her breasts.

“Well?” she said, looking up at me and cupping her tits. “What are you waiting for?”

Eagerly, I covered those last few inches between us and pushed my cock against her chest. She quickly pressed her tits around me, almost totally engulfing my entire length.

It took a couple tries to establish a rhythm, but before long we’d both gotten the hang of it. I thrust forward and Abby met me, continuing to mash her breasts tightly around my cock. I gripped her shoulders for balance, but mostly I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the sight of my member emerging repeatedly from her cleavage.

“This is way sexier than I thought it would be,” Abby remarked, her eyes darting between my face and my cock.

I stared at her in astonishment, my pace slowing. “You mean you’ve never…?”

“Jerked a guy off with my tits?” she finished with a grin. “Nope, you’re the very first. Now keep going; I wanna make you come!”

I returned to fucking Abby’s tits, jostling her in my eagerness. She didn’t complain or stop me though. Far from it, her hypnotic green gaze seemed to urge me on, pushing me to keep going no matter what.

I’d been worked up ever since reading Abby’s list, and that coupled with the heavenly feel of her breasts meant I was quickly approaching the end of my stamina. The last thing I wanted was to stop, but I didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.

“Abby, I’m getting close,” I managed to say. “Should I…?”

“Don’t you dare hold back!” she warned. “Fuck my tits until you come. I wanna feel it!”

That was all the encouragement I needed. With a few more frantic pumps, I erupted between her breasts, cum shooting up to cover her neck before dripping back down onto her tits and hands.

“Fuck!” I groaned, struggling to keep my legs steady as the strongest orgasm I’d had in years swept over me. Through it all, Abby never looked away from me, drinking in the sight of my pleasure just as I had hers. When I finally stepped back, my cock falling from her cleavage, she was breathing almost as hard as me.

“Wow,” she said, gazing down at her now slick breasts. “That was honestly even more fun than it looked in the videos. How was it for you? Live up to your fantasies?”

I sank onto the bed beside her before my legs could give out entirely. “Honestly? Fantasy doesn’t even compare to the real thing. I keep thinking I must be dreaming. There’s no way this is real.”

Abby laughed. “I know what you mean. Trust me though, this is totally real. I’ve got the cum to prove it. Way stickier than I expected, by the way.”

I chuckled with her. “Do you need to shower? Might ruin your clothes otherwise.”

“Probably a good idea,” she agreed. “But only if you join me.”

That was a deal I could easily get behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't make any fake promises about posting updates quicker, but we'll see what we can do.
> 
> In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you all about your personal headcanons for some of the Stardew singles. For whatever reason, I just always figured Abby for a serious freak. What do you think, who's the craziest single in town?


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